More than You'd Expect, Fewer than You'd Want
by newagenewbarricade
Summary: There weren't three warden recruits at Ostagar, there were nine. The group of freshly joined wardens couldn't be more different. Each from a radically different place with radically different opinions. And now it's up to them to save the world, if they can agree on anything that is.
1. City Elf

Kallian and Soris overheard Shianni screaming from the room next to them. Kallian kicked the door in, fuming at the sight before her. It took all of her restraint to not kill him right there, but he was too close to Shianni for her to risk it,

"Get the fuck away from her you disgusting piece of filth!" She shouted, demanding the monster's attention.

Vaughn laughed as he got up and walked, no _sauntered_ over to where Kallian was standing. He placed a hand on her waist, the blood on her dress staining his hand a vibrant scarlet,

"You're not nearly as beautiful when you scowl like that. What do you say, forty sovereigns we forget any of this ever happened?" he smiled at her, voice like auditory slime.

Kallian snarled as she buried a sword in Vaughn's chest. Kicked him in the chest and swiftly beheaded him with her other blade. Kallian was dripping blood, it had soaked her from head to toe. Her wedding dress, once as white as the frostbacks was as red as the bloodstained path she'd left in her wake throughout the arl's estate. All of it, all her actions over the past two hours, had led to this glorious moment of pure vengeance,

"No deal." She said as his head rolled toward her. She lifted her foot and rested it on his head, catching her breath for a moment. Breathing deeply she sheathed her weapons and ran over to her cousin,

"Shianni, we're going to get you and the others out of here okay?" Soris went over to Shianni and helped her to her feet.

"They took the others…" Shianni trailed off.

"I'll find them" Kallian locked eyes with Soris, "You get Shianni out of here."

Kallian kicked open virtually every door in the estate, rescuing all the other women Vaughn and his shemlen bastards had kidnapped. She led her fellow survivors out of the estate and back to the alienage. When she and the others got back to the alienage she immediately went to her house to check on Shianni,

"Shianni, I know you're not exactly okay but, how are you?" She asked her cousin.

"I'm fine, the others just think Vaughn roughed me up a bit, and I'd like to keep it that way." Shianni said. Kallian nodded. Kallian and Soris exited the house only to be confronted by a city guardsman. He towered over five foot three Kallian but she still stood tall under his scrutinizing gaze.

"We know it was an elf who killed the Arl's son, I suggest you tell them to confess before we purge the entire alienage." He said stoically, hand on his sword as if he were ready to cut them down at any sudden movement. Kallian's eyes briefly darted to Soris, he had visibly paled. Kallian knew what fate they would suffer at the hands of these humans. She stepped into the guard's personal space, tilted her head back so she was looking him dead in the eye,

"It was me."

"You? All by yourself?" The guard seemed to doubt her.

She scowled, "Find me another arl's estate if you don't believe me."

"I do not envy your fate, but you've spared many by turning yourself in. Maker have mercy on you."

"That won't be necessary." Deadrick, the Grey Warden she'd met earlier stepped forward.

"This young woman has shown herself beyond capable in battle and willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. I am invoking the right of conscription, her crimes are the Warden's she is now my ward." The elf said as he stood beside Kallian, barely an inch taller than her.

"I'm not going to fight a Warden over one knife ear, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." The guard shook his head as he walked out of the alienage.

"Sir, I appreciate it but you didn't need to do that." Kallian didn't want this man's charity, even if it had spared her life. The humans would want justice and if they couldn't get it from hanging her then they'd find some other way. Her finger ran over the wedding band she'd taken from Nelaros' body. The shems would take what they wanted.

"Oh, I didn't do that out of charity, or to get that guard to leave. I'm actually recruiting you. You killed an entire estate full of armed guards with a stolen sword and sheer willpower. You're exactly the kind of recruit the wardens need."

"But my father, my family you can't just ask me to abandon them!" her mind raced as she thought of all those who relied on her. She had on more than one occasion left "random gifts" of stolen coin for the Suranas since Amadin vanished and Danya could hardly find any decent work since the incident with the templars. Her father shouldn't have to work, she needed to stay and support him.

"I'm not asking. You should say your goodbyes, we have a long way to go to Ostagar." Deadrick said, crossing his arms. Kallian looked at Soris,

"Well, you've always been my hero since we were kids. This just makes it official. I'll take care of Cyrion, you go save the world." He hugged his cousin, Kallian had been nearly inseparable from him and Shianni since they were kids. Leaving them would not be easy. She went into her house, for the last time. She hugged Shianni and Cyrion,

"This may be the last time I see either of you. I love you more than anything, please please stay safe." She bit her lip hard to distract herself from the tears that threatened to fall. She exited the house quickly. She spotted Chartan Surana, an old flame of hers. She walked over to him,

"I heard what you did Kallian, I couldn't be prouder to know you." He said, looking at her like she had descended from the stars above. She couldn't help but think how Nelaros had looked at her in much the same way before Vaughn's guards cut him down. Her voice became choked,

"Yeah, I just did what I had to. I'm off to Ostagar. Apparently the wardens like bitchy elven mass murderers, you take care of yourself Chartan." Kallian said.

"If you're ever in the deep roads… Keep your eyes out for Amadin okay?" He asked.

"Of course I will." Kallian promised. She took Chartan's hand in her own for a brief moment before walking back to the Warden. The ghosts of memories bitter and sweet surrounding her. Seeing her childhood friend dragged away by Templars, Shianni smashing that bottle to Vaughn's head, her mother…Her mother. She shook her head, no point in dwelling on the past of a city she might never return to.

"I'm ready, well ready as I can possibly be."

Deadrick nodded,

"We have no time to lose then." He brought her over to his horse. He got on first and helped her on afterward. She'd never ridden a horse before and was a little intimidated.

"Off to Ostagar." He said as they left the Alienage.

"Off to Ostagar." Kallian said as she watched her home vanish before her.


	2. Dwarven Noble

Jolene overheard a guard say, "Five minutes." She heard the shuffle of someone approaching. She neared her cell wall to see who it was. Tears streamed down her dust stained face as she realized it was Gorim.

"Oh by the stone Gorim, I was afraid you weren't coming." Jolene breathed as she held onto the prison bars as Gorim stood in front of her cell.

"They wouldn't let me before. The Assembly has stripped me of my caste, I'm being sent to the surface. Harrowmont and I fought for the same for you but they weren't hearing any of it. You're being exiled to the deep roads."

Jolene let out a pained cry, tears flowing with renewed vigor. Her head rested on the metal bars before her,

"I deserve it, I killed my brother."

"It was in self-defense my love." Gorim assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Her head shot up to look her lover dead in the eye,

"Was it? Was it really Gorim? He told me to surrender, if I had he'd still be alive and we could've seen the real enemy Bhelen but instead I attacked and murdered my brother on Bhelen's word. I deserve to be torn apart by Darkspawn for what I've done."

"I wish they'd let me go with you." Gorim said.

"You're safer on the surface." Jolene said

"I would give up all the safety in the world to go by your side to this dark place, don't you ever think otherwise Jolene." Gorim held bother her shoulders, eyes unwavering. Jolene pulled him into a hug,

"I'm so scared Gorim, just hold me for a minute. Please." Her hands balled up in the fabric of his shirt as she cried into his chest.

"Anything for you my lady." He wrapped his arms around her as he had so many times before. He then cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her one last time.

"There's still a chance for you, the Grey Wardens are on an expedition, it's connected to the part of the deeps you're to be left in. I will wait for you on the surface, if you can find them you'll have a chance." The guard came over shortly after that to usher Gorim away. Jolene bit her lower lip as the guard threw open the locked door, pushed a sword and shield in her hands and grabbed her.

"Time for the spawn to have you, exile." He practically spat at her.

When she arrived at the gates to the deep roads Lord Harrowmont, one of the dwarves closest to her father, was waiting for her. She closed the distance between them and he addressed her.

"Half of them had their decision bought before they even walked in there, there was no hope for you getting a fair trial lady Aeducan." Lord Harrowmont said.

"So, Bhelen is next in line for the throne…" Jolene had always been close to Bhelen. His betrayal hurt almost as much as Trian's willingness to believe she'd try to kill him to get to the throne.

"I'm not the only one who is suspicious of Bhelen's sudden rise to power, I swear I will do everything in my power to prevent him from taking the throne." Lord Harrowmont promised.

"Just tell me, for your father's sake. Did you kill Trian?"

Jolene wanted to cry, yes she had killed him but it was clear he wasn't going to accept that she wasn't the one planning to kill him, she had to do it. She knew Bhelen had been playing on her and Trian's natural paranoia for months if not years for this to happen. Bhelen knew Jolene struggled with extreme paranoia, she'd trusted him and he'd used something she'd told him in confidence against her. She may have been the weapon, but Bhelen was the murderer.

"No, I swear by the stone I'm innocent." Desperation clear in her voice, she blinked back her tears.

"I had no doubt." Harrowmont said. He handed her a fine dwarven blade, far superior to the blade she'd been given when she was escorted from the prison.

"Make it count my Lady." He turned away from her, "Open the gates for the exile!"

Jolene felt a hard knot form in her gut as Harrowmont walked away and the doors to the deep roads opened before her. The pitch black ebbing out of the ancient doors beckoned to her. She walked towards her demise, leaving behind the city she would've given everything for as its ruler.

"May the stone preserve me." She thought to herself as the doors sealed behind her, trapping her with the stagnant air and the unrelenting darkness of the uninhabited caverns.

Jolene cut her way through the deep roads, if this was to be her fate by the stone she was going to make it count. She deserved it, she'd killed her brother in cold blood on nothing but her younger brother's word and some circumstantial evidence. She just hoped life on the surface would be kind to Gorim, oh Gorim. He was a good man, his name shouldn't have been dragged through the mud with her.

As she was thinking about her lover she realized it was quiet, quiet in the deep roads meant something Very Large had frightened everything else away. The thundering sound of Ogre footsteps confirmed her fear. Her heart was thundering in her chest as the beast made itself visible, her mouth was agape, she had fought darkspawn before but never an ogre much less armed with only a sword and wooden shield. The creature let out a deafening roar but all Jolene could hear was her own heartbeat, as if it were the loudest sound in the world. The monster looked at her and Jolene's eyes darted to a tunnel nearby, it was far too small for the beast to get through but she could if she went right now. She ran as fast as she could, unashamed of herself as she made her way away from the beast. She heard rumbling and the sound of stones falling to the ground behind her, the cave she had made her escape in had collapsed at the entrance due to the Ogre's banging on the wall. Jolene knew her fate was to die at darkspawn hands but she would rather it not be an Ogre if she could help it.

She ran through the tunnel and saw the glorious dwarven made part of the deep roads that were once traveled by merchants and armies alike, as she emerged from her hole in the wall she was greeted by an expedition full of humans and a casteless dwarf.

"Lady Aeducan, what brings you to the deep roads?" Duncan, the grey warden she had met in her father's throne room. She regained her breath and answered the man,

"I am no longer an Aeducan. I am an exile." She said, eyes darting between Duncan and the casteless woman with him.

"I assumed as much." Duncan admitted. The casteless woman looked at Jolene questioningly,

"Did you say Aeducan? As in- oh by the stone you're her! You're the princess aren't you?"

"Not anymore." Jolene said, unable to meet even this casteless woman's eyes.

"If I remember correctly you wanted to be a Grey Warden, this isn't how I wanted to recruit you but we still have a spot open." Duncan said.

"I don't deserve the honor but I accept," She went down on one knee, still exhausted from her journey through the deep roads.

"No need to kneel Jolene." Duncan said.

With that Jolene stood up and joined the wardens, leaving the deep roads and their fate for her behind, along with everything she once held dear.


	3. Dalish Elf

Linara felt an intense burn beneath her skin, as if her very blood was on fire. All she remembered was Tamlen touching some mirror, then everything went black. The keeper mentioned something about her having been very ill for a few days, but thankfully she seemed to be better. Linara just wanted to know where Tamlen was, they were _going_ to have a real talk when they got back to the camp but apparently he was still missing.

"Can I look for him please? I'm the only one who knows how to find the ruins."

"I was about to ask you if you were strong enough to go da'len, take Merrill with you."

Linara headed towards Merrill. She spotted Fenarel, she went over to him.

"You're going to go look for Tamlen aren't you?" Fenarel asked, voice teeming with hope. He and Tamlen had always been good friends.

"Even the creators themselves couldn't stop me." Linara said.

"I'd like to go with you, if you want me to." Fenarel asked.

"Of course, I'll just tell Merrill we got Marethari's permission."

The two hunters went over to Merrill.

"Alright Merrill, we have to find Tamlen as soon as possible."

Merrill looked quizzically at Fenarel for a moment before nodding,

"Lead the way Linara." Merrill said.

The trio was about halfway to the ruins before some dwarf sized, creators-know-whats attacked them. Linara drew her bow, Merrill cast spells and Fenarel ran over, sword in hand. An arrow hit Linara right in the shoulder. She dropped her bow, grimacing as she pulled the barbed arrow out of her shoulder. When she looked up Fenarel and Merrill were standing over her.

"Are you okay lethallin?" Merrill asked as she helped Linara up.

"I'm fine, why?" Linara asked.

"You look really pale." Merrill said.

"Yeah, now that she mentions it you do look pretty sick." Fenarel added

"I'll feel better when Tamlen is back at camp with the rest of us." Linara said.

The group trekked on. Stumbling across a small camp, there was an elven woman there.

"By the dread wolf! Who are you?" Linara demanded.

"Deadrick, Deadrick saved you. He's looking in the ruins he found you in. He told me to wait here." The woman replied.

"That doesn't explain who _you_ are." Linara said.

"She was with the Grey Warden who saved you." Merrill said.

"She was the one who told us how the Grey Warden came upon you." Fenarel added.

"We're almost to the ruins. Our priority needs to be Tamlen." Linara said walking right past the city elf.

"I hope you find your clan mate." The city elf said as the Dalish group passed her by.

Linara continued relentlessly on her path to the ruins. She didn't say anything as she led Fenarel and Merrill into the depths of the mysterious ruins. She walked throughout the building, shouting Tamlen's name. Even as she was kicking giant spiders in the face her mind was focused on finding Tamlen. The group eventually made their way to the chamber Tamlen had touched that blighted mirror in.

"You survived. I'm glad." A dark skinned city elf said as he stood by the mirror.

"Have you seen another Dalish warrior? Goes by Tamlen, short blond hair, round face?"

The elf shook his head, "Ir abelas, but if your friend was here he is most certainly dead by now. You only survived because I brought you back to your keeper. Tamlen is most certainly dead by now or worse."

"Don't say that! You don't know Tamlen, if I survived then he could've too!" Linara protested.

"He has had the taint inside him, unaided for three days. There is no hope."

"I don't believe that! I'm not leaving without him."

The elf sighed, "Fine, look all you want you'll find nothing. I'll be outside the ruins." The warden said.

Linara grimaced as she searched the back tunnel of the ruins. Calling out for Tamlen again. She knew he had to be here somewhere, the flat ear might've given up on him but she would never. When it was clear he wasn't in that part of the ruins she continued wandering through them, shouting Tamlen's name till her throat went hoarse and even then still refusing to give up. She had no idea how much time passed, it had gotten significantly darker in the ruins from when she'd first entered them but she refused to stop the search. She was throwing open ancient sarcophagi in case he'd hidden in them. She saw a large pile of rubble that hadn't been there the last time she was there. She kneeled beside it and began picking at it boulder by boulder. She went on like this for an unbearably long time.

Merrill wrapped her arms around Linara's midsection as she pulled Linara out of the rubble she'd been hopelessly rummaging in for at least an hour.

"Falon, ne nuvenin hamin. Tamlen'din." _Friend, you need/must rest. Tamlen is dead._

"Tamlen na'din, Tamlen na in durgenan." _Tamlen isn't dead, Tamlen is in this stone place_ Linara protested, she didn't want to leave until the blight either consumed her or they had a body to grieve. Tamlen wouldn't give up on her so she wasn't giving up on him either.

"Lethallan, ma suledin nadas. Ir abelas, Mahariel." _My clanmante, you must endure. I'm sorry Mahariel._

"The warden is waiting outside." Fenarel added in a defeated voice, he didn't want to give up either but he knew there was no use in delaying the inevitable.

Linara felt the tears run down her face as she allowed Merrill and Fenarel to take her away from the rubble that was screaming at her for abandoning Tamlen to whatever fate would befall him without her. She couldn't feel anything other than the all-consuming fear that she'd left Tamlen to a horrible death because she allowed Merrill to take her away from the ruins.

Linara's grief was renewed when Ashalle mentioned she'd hoped Tamlen and Linara would one day... Linara had held that same hope.

Keeper Marethari was standing by the flat ear Warden and the other elf he'd been travelling with,

"Ah, here she is." He said as Linara came over to them.

"Da'len, Warden Deadrick and I have come to an agreement about your cure."

"But, keeper you already cured me? I don't understand why he and that other city elf are still here?" She gestured to the tan elven woman who was a little ways away from the warden she'd arrived with.

"Her magic has only delayed the taint, the only cure is becoming a Grey warden. That's why I'm still here." Deadrick said.

"You, want me to be a Grey Warden?" Linara asked. She looked at Marethari, "You're sending me away?"

"The clan couldn't bear to see you waste away, I wouldn't be doing this if there was any other way dalen." Marethari assured her.

Linara sighed, it was clear she didn't have a choice in the matter, "I would be honored to join the Wardens. May I at least remain here for Tamlen's funeral?" Her voice cracked.

"I will not deny you that, but we must leave right after. You're going to get sicker the longer we delay."

Linara nodded. She walked past the city elf woman to the hahren. He would need to organize a funeral service for Tamlen.

During Tamlen's funeral she asked if she could sing the eulogy song, the clan knew she would be leaving for the wardens after the service and wouldn't deny her this request,

 _Da'len na melana sahlin_

 _emma ir abelas_

 _souver'inan isala hamin_

 _vhenan him dor'felas_

 _in uthenera na revas_

 _vir sulahn'nehn_

 _vir dirthera_

 _vir samahl la numin_

 _vir lath sa'vunin_

She didn't have the best singing voice and it cracked multiple times during the song but it was an unforgettable moment for the entire clan. While they were losing Tamlen they also knew they would be losing Linara in a not altogether different way. As Linara walked toward Deadrick, away from her clan for possibly the rest of her life she bit her lip to keep from sobbing once more. She put her hand on Merrill's shoulder, she opened her mouth to say something to her but couldn't find any words. She shook her head and went to shake hands with the keeper.

She looked at her clan one last time. She whispered a prayer under her breath that they would be safe. She made eye contact with Merrill, her friend's gaze was unwavering. Linara couldn't bear to see her own pain reflected so pristinely in Merrill's eyes and looked away. The image of her friend would forever be burned into her mind, a reminder that Tamlen wasn't all she'd lost. As she turned away she felt someone throw their arms around her. She grabbed onto the arms around her as she realized it was Movran, her twin. She couldn't bear to look at him. She could feel him shaking, she was losing her clan and he was losing the last of his family.

Deadrick gave her a look that expressed sympathy as well as the need to cut this short. She peeled her brother off of her and gave him the family necklace that was once their mother's,

"Ir abelas mala suledin nadas, dareth shiral ma lin." _I am sorry, now you must endure farewell my blood._

She walked away from the only life she had ever known, the only one she had ever wanted to know and walked toward the life of a grey warden.


	4. Magi

"Lyonel I don't know what to do… I can't let them make Jowan tranquil, do you think I should tell Irving?" Alinn asked holding onto Lyonel in an attempt to steady himself. He felt guilty for drawing Lyonel into this mess but he was so scared, if they were caught the punishment for helping someone escape the circle would no doubt be worse than death.

"If you tell Irving he'll just have Jowan made tranquil. You _know_ he plays favorites and Jowan isn't one of them. If it was you or me they were going to make tranquil maybe… You need to save him." Lyonel said holding Alinn at arm's length. Alinn was quivering with fear,

"Till Templar or, t-till Templar or tranquility do us part." Their vow they'd said so many times Alinn said now with a trembling voice. Alinn kissed Lyonel and went off to the chantry to tell Jowan he was going to help him.

Once Alinn was out of sight Lyonel went right to First Enchanter Irving's office.

"First Enchanter, I have some information you might find useful." Lyonel said as he entered the office.

"Lyonel? Come in, what is it?" Irving asked, seated at his desk. A pile of books behind him Lyonel distinctly remembered being in the library earlier in the week.

"It concerns one of my fellow apprentices, a harrowed mage and a lay sister." Lyonel said.

"Names and details Amell." Irving said, seemingly not invested in the discussion quite yet.

"Jowan is going to be made tranquil, am I correct?" Lyonel asked already knowing the answer.

"I suppose the sister told you that, it's true." Irving said.

"Then I'm assuming you know he plans to leave the circle." Lyonel said.

"No, I didn't. Although I am hardly surprised, how did you learn about this has he confided in you?"

"Not me, Alinn told me." Lyonel admitted, hoping Irving wouldn't surprise him.

"Why didn't Alinn come to me himself?" Irving asked standing up from his desk.

"He doesn't know I'm here. You know how he is, he's loyal to the point of borderline fatalism. Please sir, I know the Templars won't show any mercy on Jowan but. You can tell them all about Jowan's plan, you could tell them Alinn told you. I know neither of us want to see anything bad happen to him." Lyonel laid it all out, he was taking the largest gamble of his life and betting the fate of the one mage who mattered the most to him.

"I wish he'd come to me about this, I'll do what I can. I'm glad you brought this matter to my attention Amell." Irving said as he exited his office. Lyonel swallowed nervously as he slowly made his way back to the apprentice's quarters. He heard the clamor of Templar armor pass by. Enough time had passed that maybe, just maybe the plan had worked. He slowly followed the Knight Commander and the First Enchanter. From around the corner he saw Jowan knock the entire room full of Templars and mages alike to the ground with his blood magic. He did nothing as Jowan ran off at full speed. He merely looked to see if Alinn was alright, he looked a little worse for wear but overall not too bad. Lyonel breathed a sigh of relief at that. He overheard Gregoir yelling about Alinn's involvement in Jowan's escape.

"Jowan lied to me! He looked me in the eye and said he wasn't a blood mage! I would've helped him anyway!" Alinn visibly blanched after he shouted his last sentence, fully aware of the possible consequences of his actions.

"This is the mage you want to reward? He's flagrantly disobeyed the rules of this circle and must be punished accordingly." Gregoir demanded.

 _No. No no no, that's not what's supposed to happen._ Lyonel panicked, realizing his foolish attempt to cover his own blood magic and try and save Alinn at the same time looked like it was about to backfire big time. A Grey Warden human and two dwarven women walked past him.

"It takes courage to stand by a friend at all costs, it's that kind of bravery that would make this mage an excellent warden." The Grey Warden man said.  
"You, you want to make me a warden?" Alinn asked. Lyonel could hear the reverent disbelief in his voice, it was beautiful.

"NO, I refuse to accept this." Gregoir refuted. "This also doesn't answer how you knew of Jowan's plan, if he didn't tell you."

"It was me." Lyonel said, making his presence known.

"Lyonel, you told Irving?" He looked thoroughly betrayed. His eyes like a swift dagger to the gut.

"I did what I had to, I did this for you." Lyonel said.

"For me? What about Jowan? Is his life just some bargaining chip you used on the off chance it would help me?" Alinn was angry that much was clear. Lyonel understood but hoped that Alinn would at least see why he did what he did.

"We both know Jowan isn't going to last a week out there! But you, you have a real chance." He nodded towards the Grey Warden, "I did what I had to to get you out of here." He smiled a sad, soft smile at Alinn.

"Lyonel, I might never see you again." Alinn said, looking at Lyonel mournfully, "I love you."

"I know, I love you too believe me I do but at least you're getting out." Lyonel said tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"Irving, this mage here. Is this the other one you were telling me about?" The warden asked.

"Yes, that's Amell." Irving said.

Lyonel looked at the warden, wiping his eyes, "You know of me, sir?" He was surprised to say the least.

"Irving spoke very highly of both of you. The wardens could always use more mages." The Warden said.

"Duncan, Amell is an apprentice, he hasn't even been harrowed yet!" Gregoir protested.

"The harrowing changes nothing about the mage." Alinn commented, "It's just a test that really doesn't prove much." he bit his lip, mentally chastising himself to stop snarking the Knight Commander at every opportunity.

"What the boy says is true, the Harrowing is a Circle practice, a warden doesn't need to abide by circle law." Irving pointed out.

"I think they'd both make good additions to our ranks." The dwarven woman with black hair said.

"I would be honored to join the wardens." Lyonel said.

"As would I." Alinn added, lacing his fingers through Lyonel's.

"Any punishment these mages would bear is now the warden's I am taking them under my wing." The warden said.

Irving smiled, "Best of luck at Ostagar Duncan."

Gregoir was furious but said nothing.

Duncan led his small flock of warden recruits out of the tower. Alinn tried to hide the fact that he was practically bursting with happiness. He looked at Lyonel, tears streaming down his face.

"They can't take you away from me, or me from you."

Lyonel pulled Alinn into a hug, "I never want to be apart from you for as long as I live." He kissed Alinn before they followed Duncan out of the tower. It was a bit of a tight fit with six in the boat to shore but they made it work. The two mages couldn't even try to hide how happy they were. Alinn pressed a kiss to Lyonel's temple.

"You two seem very happy." The other dwarf woman said. Alinn noticed her mournful eyes and fiery hair.

Lyonel wrapped his arm around Alinn's shoulders,

"We are." He kissed the top of Alinn's head, "We're extremely happy."

She smiled at them,

"It's nice to see that even in this harsh world love still finds a way."

"What's your name anyway, I'm not sure we've been properly introduced." Alinn asked.

"I'm another recruit, my name is Jolene." She said.

"I'm Natalia, also a recruit." The black haired dwarf with bashed in teeth said.

"I'm sure we're not the only recruits. Wonder who else will be at Ostagar." Natalia continued as she turned to watch the approaching shore. That thought permeated throughout the minds of the other recruits for the remainder of the boat ride as the shore got closer and the tower got smaller.


	5. The Casteless

Natalia looked at Leske in his cell, she raised an eyebrow at him and nodded toward the guard. He rolled his eyes in response. The guard was absolute shit in a fight Natalia knew that from experience.

"Hey dickbag!" She called to the guard. Sticking her tongue out in a way that in any other situation would've been seductive. The guard walked over to her cell,

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"Just this." She threw her arm around the back of his neck and bashed his face into the jail bars. She then grabbed both of his ears in order to get a better hold of him. She didn't know how many times she bashed that sorry bastard's face into the bars before she let him go and he fell to the ground with a squishy thud.

"Gross." She said as she took the keys off his belt and unlocked herself and Leske. She went over to the guard and took his dagger.

"Alright Leske, looks like we're gonna have to slaughter our way out of this shit hole." Leske went over to a nearby barrel and took a shield and mace.

"No time to lose then." Leske said.

Natalia and Leske opened the door, three carta members were there.

"Oh fuck me." Natalia sighed right before she and Leske annihilated them. She took the blood stained longsword from one of the corpses.

"Hope there aren't too many more." Natalia said as she spat blood on the ground, one of the assholes bashed his hilt straight into her lips. She moved her tongue around her mouth and realized,

"That fucker knocked my tooth out! If he wasn't already dead I'd fucking murder him!" She snarled at the guilty corpse.

"Nat, priorities?" Leske reminded her.

"Yeah yeah let's get the fuck out of here before Beraht finds out we got out."

Natalia and Leske continued on their destructive path to, well not freedom per-se so much as less imminent destruction. The duo killed yet another room full of carta thugs.

"By the stone do these asses have some personal vendetta against my teeth or something? Did they just see me and think 'fuck her teeth in particular' for fucks sake man." She said as she dragged her tongue along her now jagged teeth. She grunted as she opened the door, only a hallway stood between her and Beraht's chamber.

"Let's do this shit Lesk." Natalia said as she pushed open the door.

"Now that Brosca's out of the way we should pay her sister a visit." Beraht said licking his lips like a wolf at the sight of a dead rabbit.

"Do we get a turn?" One of Beraht's henchmen asked.

"Once I'm done." Beraht said.

Then Natalia beat the shit out of everyone. More specifically Beraht and his two henchmen. No one threatened her sister like that and lived to tell the tale. She bashed her sword hilt into Beraht's face she then punched him in the eye. She stabbed him in the gut and opened him up like a tear in a two sizes too small gown.

"Rot in hell fucker." She said as she buried her dagger in his neck. She looked around at the carnage she and Leske had made,

"What do we do now?" He asked her.

"I don't know about you my friend, but I am getting home as fast as I can and getting my sis and my mom somewhere safe. The carta sure as hell ain't going to be pleased at just about anything I did today." She said.

"We did."

"I'm the one who disgraced the provings, Leske if you run you can survive dust town. I can't." She said. Neither of them said anything else as they escaped the hideout. Only to find four Orzammar gaurds and a human standing at the exit.

"Oh fuck me." Natalia muttered under her breath. If any of the guards heard her they chose to ignore her as they read her sentence,

"For the crime of touching a weapon, you will lose your right hand. For impersonating someone of a higher caste you will be flayed in the streets. For disgracing the entire warrior caste you will be put to death." The guard said. Natalia saw Rica standing behind the guards, looking positively horrified.

"She has proven herself the best warrior in Orzammar, your warrior caste could learn a few things from her." The human said.

"I am invoking the right of conscription, the wardens need fierce warriors like her." He said.

The guards looked scandalized as they looked from Natalia to the man and back again.

"Glad you're finally getting out of this shit hole Nat." Leske clapped her on the back.

Natalia smiled at her friend as he passed her by. She went over to Rica who was positively beaming,

"You'll be great I just know it! You stay safe okay?" She said. Natalia threw her arms around her sister,

"You stay safe to Rica, I love you." She said into her sister's shoulder.

"I love you too." Rica replied as Natalia let her go.

"So, what exactly does a warden do again?" She asked the human.

The man sighed, "We end the blights, fight darkspawn. I'll explain more when we go to Ostagar."

"Alright sir, lead the way." Natalia said. The man could've led her into the bowels of the deep roads and it would still be better than life under Beraht's thumb. Little did she know the bowels of the deep roads is exactly where they were going next.


	6. Last of Her Line

Mirah admired herself in the mirror, her muscles apparent in her sleeveless dress. Her arms could wield a sword and shield as well as any man and it showed,

"Maker, I am a sight to behold." She smiled to herself. She elbowed the air in front of her, she'd had a fruitful training session that morning and was aching for the chance to prove her mettle in battle. But of course she was stuck making sure Highever didn't fall while her father and brother got all the glory in the battle against the darkspawn.

She held back her hair to see how she looked without it hanging in her face, her mother had always told her she had such delicate features. Mirah didn't want anyone to look at her and see _delicate._ Holding her hair back with one hand she bared her teeth at her reflection, contorting her face into a violent snarl. The corners of her mouth turned up, that was the side of herself she wanted the world to see.

She didn't want to be seen as a noblewoman, she wanted to be a terror, to strike fear into the hearts of men. She wanted to be the monster in the woods mothers warned their children about. She wanted the darkness and the bloodlust in her heart to be visible on the surface. She wanted the world to know she was no gentle lady, she was a force beyond comprehension. The world would one day quake when she approached and she looked forward to that day with glee.

She let her hair fall, a few stray strands falling into her face, her mother would've preferred she tie it back but Mirah loved it. Even when she was training and should've tied her hair back for practical purposes she let it be free. She didn't want any enemy of hers to forget they were fighting a woman. A woman who would gut them without a second thought. A woman who could be just as merciless as any Avaar warlord or Orlesian Chevalier.

While her mind flooded with images of blood stained battlefields she had to at least act like a civilized lady while her family was entertaining lady Landra and her son Darrien. She was tired of everyone insinuating that she and Darrien should marry, she knew he would make her retire her sword and shield, she would do that for no man. She ruffled her hair a little bit, smirking as it settled around her. She descended the stairs and headed to the grand hall. When she entered the room she could feel the beady eyes of every single person go to her. She was always such a shock, wild hair, sleeveless dress. As if she didn't look different enough from the rest of her family naturally. She sat next to her brother Fergus. Darrien was seated across from her at the table,

"That's a lovely dress lady Cousland." He said.

"Thank you, I had it custom made, too much muscle for sleeves." She said maintaining eye contact with the man who looked like he'd never held a sword in his life.

"Its certainly an, interesting choice." He said.

"Well I certainly try to be interesting." She said as she sipped her wine.

The rest of dinner was fairly silent on Mirah's part. After dinner she went to her chambers. She stepped out of her dress and looked down at herself. Her body was bulky muscle, she hated that the dresses she wore hid that from the world. She wanted visiting lords to know she could crush a dragon skull between her thighs, she wanted them to know she had abs of veridium. She decided that what she really needed before she was estate sitting while her father and brother got the glory was a long bath.

She scattered a handful of embrium petals in the bathwater before she got in. She loved the smell of them. It felt nice to wash the grime off of herself from her training session she'd had that morning. She submerged herself in the water briefly. She stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself as she headed to her dresser. She put on her sleepwear and went to bed. Asher sat at the foot of her bed,

"Why would I need a husband when I have a wardog?" Mirah said as she leaned over to pet her faithful companion. She laid her head back onto her pillow, at least she would have plenty of time to train while she was watching over the estate.

She awoke later in the night to Asher barking at the door. Mirah was only half awake but she had a feeling in her gut that something was wrong. She put on her armor and grabbed her weapons as she opened the door, two of Arl Howe's men were at her door.

"You bastards!" She yelled as she cut the men down. They'd hardly had a chance to knock their arrows. She entered the hallway, two more men were there. Asher leapt on one of them while Mirah knocked the other one to the ground. She made him look her in the eyes as she buried her sword in his neck. She yanked her blade out of his neck and banged on her parent's chamber door. She had to know if her parents were alive.

"Mirah I heard, oh maker those are Howe's men!" Her mother was also in her armor and had apparently taken her old bow back out for use once more.

"Mother, we need to check on Oriana and Oren." Mirah said, realizing she hadn't heard even a scream from her brother's room since she was awoken.

"Oh maker you don't think they'd-" She was cut off as Mirah ran to her brother's room and threw open the door. She gasped as she saw her massacred sister-in-law and nephew.

"No!" Eleanor cried out, falling to her knees beside her grandson.

"Mother, we have to keep going." Mirah said. She wanted to find every single one of Howe's men and butcher them, the longer they waited the higher the chance that everyone else in the castle would die.

"What's the point?" Eleanor sobbed.

"Mother. There's no use sitting here, we can mourn once we're out of here alive! We need to find father."

"You're right, we need to find your father." Eleanor said as she got off the floor.

Mirah led the way toward the lower level of the castle, she heard her mother muttering about Lady Landra. Mirah could only assume she'd been slain as well. She entered the courtyard, her mother and her wardog at her side.

"For the Couslands!" Mirah yelled as she charged at five of Howe's men. Her sword went all the way through one of them. She saw her mother's arrows take down another. This wasn't how she'd wanted to prove her mettle but she would do it anyway. When she and her mother made it to the reception hall she found that the main doors had held, at least for the moment.

"Thank the maker you're alive my Lady." Ser Gilmore said in between heavy breaths.

"I'm glad you're alright, have you seen my father?" Mirah asked.

"I haven't seen the Teyrn, I'm sorry my lady." Gilmore said.

"Mirah we need to get out of here." Eleanor said.

"Gilmore, come with us." She didn't want her friend to die a pointless death.

"I'm sworn to protect. I will keep the gates for as long as I can you just need to get out of here."

"But-"

"Mirah! Go, I'll be fine." Gilmore yelled over the sound of distant fighting.

Mirah didn't want to admit the idea of Ser Gilmore dying while she ran away hurt her deeply. She nodded her head solemnly as her mother began to head toward the kitchens.

"There's an escape route in the larder." She said.

Mirah ran through the kitchen and made her way to the Larder. She opened the door, her father was on the floor, bleeding badly,

"Father!" Mirah gasped as she ran to her father's side.

"Bryce, Bryce no." Eleanor said as she knelt beside him, assessing his wounds.

"The escape hatch is right there, if we go now we might have a chance." Mirah insisted.

"There's no point pup. I'm too weak to move." Bryce said.

"I will carry you." Mirah said.

"Go, tell Cailan, tell anyone who will listen what's transpired here." Eleanor said.

"Come with me, I won't ask twice." Mirah said as she went down the hidden staircase into the hidden network of tunnels below the estate. She trudged on, knowing her mother wouldn't go where her husband couldn't follow. She sheathed her sword as she walked, no one would find her or her dog down here. She looked at the blood on her hands, it was so much but also not nearly enough. She needed the blood of Rendon Howe before she would be satisfied. She absentmindedly licked her lip, she tasted blood. Mirah wiped the blood off her lip with a single finger. She was going to make every single Howe pay for what they'd done. She could still hear remnants of fighting above her, she hurried her pace. If she was going to escape with her life she would have to hurry.

She ran down the tunnel beneath Highever estate. She found herself in a partially flooded storm tunnel, she waded through the water, her boots turning the once clearish water a muddy crimson. She reached the grate that stood between herself and freedom. She smashed her shield into the rusted locks. Paired with a swift kick the door was open.

She emerged a few miles away from Highever estate. She looked over her shoulder, it looked perfectly calm. She could almost pretend it wasn't falling apart at the hands of a traitor and his men within. She looked away, Asher ran into the woods,

"Oh shit, wait for me!" She called as she ran after her dog, the only living creature left in the world who mattered to her. She ran through the trees and undergrowth. Asher was easy to spot against the dull browns and greens of the woods. She silently hoped she wouldn't run into any Dalish while she was chasing her dog, she didn't much feel like slaughtering an entire clan tonight.

She heard someone up ahead. They were talking to her dog.

"I doubt you're alone, where is your counterpart?" A man's voice asked the dog.

"He's mine." Mirah said as she approached the man, no the elf. She realized her dog had stumbled upon three traveling elves. One of whom was Dalish and had her bow pointing right at her.

"Linara, no need to be hostile." The man said. The Dalish muttered something in some tongue Mirah didn't understand and put her bow away.

"Deadrick, this shem is covered in blood, why shouldn't we be cautious?" The other elf woman asked.

"I'm right here, don't talk about me as if I'm not here." Mirah said, sneering at the clearly alienage born elven woman.

"I'm Warden Deadrick, these are my recruits. Who are you?" Deadrick asked.

"I'm Mirah, Mirah Cousland. Last of my name, currently fleeing for my life due to the actions of a traitor." Mirah said, still catching her breath.

"Cousland, as in daughter of Bryce Cousland?" Deadrick asked.

"I'm surprised someone like you knows my father's name."

"Might not want to condescend the only chance you have of surviving." Deadrick deadpanned.

"How exactly are you my only chance of surviving?" Mirah asked.

"You honestly think you weren't followed?" Deadrick asked.

Mirah looked over her shoulder quickly, she knew she'd left the larder door open in case her mother followed her. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of being followed out into the woods.

"Come with us, we wardens could always use another warrior. Plus King Cailan will no doubt want to hear about what's happened to your family." Deadrick offered.

"Why do you want me to join you?" Mirah asked, unsure if she trusted the random elf she met in the woods.

"I've heard about your abilities with a sword and shield. To be honest we wardens have been wanting to talk to you about joining for some time, granted this is _not_ how I wanted to recruit you but I'll take it." He held out his hand

She narrowed her eyes before shaking his hand, "I accept your offer, now get me the hell out of here."


	7. Welcome to Ostagar

Deadrick arrived with his recruits around midafternoon. The King approached them,

"Ho, Deadrick these must be the recruits you told me about." He looked at Linara. "You're Dalish am I right? I don't believe I've ever met one of your people before."

Linara, who was leaning on Kallian for strength looked the king dead in the eyes, "seth'lin" _Thin blood._

Deadrick side eyed Linara.

"She doesn't speak much of the common tongue your highness."

"I do." Kallian piped up, holding Linara's arm to keep her friend from collapsing.

"Are you from an alienage? My father never allowed me to visit one."

"Yeah, I'm from the Denerim Alienage and I killed an Arl's son for raping my cousin and kidnapping me on my wedding day." Kallian deadpanned.

"What?" Cailan looked genuinely shocked.

"My family was slaughtered by Arl Howe and his traitorous men. I'm the last of the Couslands." Mirah added, stepping in front of the elven women.

Cailan looked at Mirah and Kallian with great concern,

"I will speak to both of you after the battle, these are both incredibly serious matters."

However the king had to leave and the recruits were left with Deadrick once more. He looked at the three women he had brought here. Each one had her own strengths and weakness, each one had her own method in battle and her own weapon of choice. He knew these three would one day become an unstoppable team if they could just get along for more than three minutes at a time.

"I have business to attend to, you three make yourselves at home and please, don't get into any fights while I'm gone."

"Aye aye captian." Kallian said, even doing a mock salute.

"Show some respect to your betters dagger happy wench." Mirah said looking down on Kallian in pretty much every sense of the word.

"What, like you? You call him 'Warden Knife ear' when you think none of us are paying attention. Besides, there's a difference between a joke and a slur. Something those fancy tutors of yours apparently didn't teach you." Kallian said hands on her hips. Linara tugged on her shirt and whispered in her ear,

"Ir isala, _healer_ please falon?"

Kallian nodded, "Of course." She walked away from Mirah, holding her friend's arm. Linara had been steadily getting sicker as they had traveled to Ostagar, Kallian didn't say anything but she was worried about her. Linara didn't want to show it but she was truly getting sicker by the day, she hoped Deadrick wouldn't delay her cure for much longer. Linara was shivering, she wasn't used to the mountain weather. Kallian stopped and took off her cloak, draping it over Linara's shoulders,

"I cannot take this, you'll freeze…" Linara said.

"I can handle whatever nature wants to throw at me, I'm used to threadbare blankets and huddling for warmth. You're used to animal pelts you need it more than me. Now let's get you to those healers!" Kallian smiled at the Dalish woman. They made their way over to the medical area of Ostagar,

"Hello, my friend here isn't feeling well. Do you have anything that can make her steadier on her feet? Or maybe just make her feel better?" she asked the first healer she saw.

"What's wrong with her?" The healer asked, looking at Linara quizzically.

"Well she has the taint. But it'll be okay we're warden recruits, but in the meantime can you help her?"

"Get her away! The last thing I need is for anyone to get, _that._ " The healer held her hands out in front of her, pushing Kallian back.

"Ugh, rude." Kallian said. "Come on Linara, we should go." She lead her friend away from the healers and right over to Deadrick of all people,

"Deadrick you need to give her this cure as soon as possible." She gestured to Linara, who put her hand on Kallian's gently forcing it back down,

"I can speak to him myself." She looked at Deadrick, "I am getting sicker by the day, I need this so called cure or I will end up dying anyway."

"I would give you the cure right now if it were possible but we have to wait until Duncan shows up with his recruits." Deadrick said, eyes full of sympathy.

"What if I die before they show up?" Linara breathed out.

"That's not going to happen."

"If you dragged me away from my clan just to have me die surrounded by shemlen ma elgar's shem'nan." She said, slipping into her native tongue seamlessly.

"Threats will get you nowhere in the wardens. You will have your cure as soon as possible. I swear it Mahariel." Deadrick said, "For now you should rest, I have a feeling Duncan's recruits will be here tomorrow and there will be much to do." Deadrick was as vague as ever as he walked away, movements precise as if he was born a soldier. Linara took note of the fact that his arms were almost always crossed behind his back as he walked, it seemed rather unusual. She wondered what Warden Deadrick's story was, perhaps she would ask him one day and he would tell her. For now she and Kallian were dead tired. The two elves went to their tent. Linara collapsed onto her bedroll almost immediately.

"I can't believe we have to wait till Duncan's recruits get here before I can get my cure. And that healer wouldn't even touch me!" Linara vented her frustration.

"At least she was cute." Kallian said as she twirled with a lock of her hair before realizing what she'd said. She hoped that wouldn't be an issue. She liked Linara and would really hate it if she turned out to be against such a huge part of who Kallian is.

"Be that as it may she still could've at least tried to help me." Linara continued.

"So, me liking other women isn't going to be a problem?" Kallian turned so she was laying on her side facing Linara.

"Of course not, I like women too." Linara said as she turned her head to her friend. "Did you leave behind someone special in the alienage?"

"Not in that way, there were cute girls in the alienage but none of them seemed interested. There were also a decent number of cute guys who _were_ interested. But no, did you?"

"Tamlen and I were almost… And I used to have a massive thing for Merrill but I don't think she ever noticed." Linara said.

"Do you think Mirah would hate us even more if she knew we fancied ladies?" Kallian joked.

"I doubt it, she hates us because we're elves. Besides I get the sense she prefers the company of other women more than a noblewoman like her would be allowed to admit."

"What pray tell made you think that?" Kallian asked.

"She was staring at your ass the other day when you weren't looking." Linara smirked.

"You're kidding!" Kallian laughed, not that someone thought she had a nice ass was funny, but that Mirah who showed so much contempt for her, thought she had a nice ass was hilarious.

"I am deadly serious, she was checking you out." Linara said.

Kallian and Linara were both laughing at this point. Neither of them noticed Mirah enter the tent until she cleared her throat,

"What's so funny?" She asked.

Kallian got her laughter under control first, "Oh, you wouldn't understand. Elf humor." She said.

"Well it's late, we're likely to have a rough day tomorrow. If you two want to giggle like children you can do so outside of the tent. I'm getting some sleep." Mirah walked over to her bedroll and was asleep almost instantly. Kallian and Linara smiled at each other before they too fell asleep.

Kallian and Linara joined the other recruits around the fire mid afternoon. Jory and Daveth must've gotten there soon after Mirah as the three were already in the midst of a discussion when the elves showed up.

"Figures Deadrick would bring a bunch of elves." Daveth said.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Kallian snapped.

"Oh, I didn't mean nothing by it" Daveth began.

"Well guess what? Words have meaning regardless of what you want them to mean."

"Say, did you hear anything about who the other recruits are?" Jory interrupted.

"I heard two dwarfs." Mirah said.

"I heard two mages…" Daveth said.

"Oh maker's dick _two_ mages? Do we really need more those disasters waiting to happen around here?" Mirah asked.

"Mages are a treasure to our people! It is a blessing from the gods, by the dread wolf you humans have everything backwards don't you?" Linara said.

"Wait, she speaks the king's tongue?" Daveth asked, pointing at Linara.

"Ar tu na'din." Linara said. _I will kill you._

"Might not want to push your luck with us." Kallian said, she had no idea what Linara had said but she could tell from her friend's tone that it wasn't particularly friendly.

Two dwarven women similar only in stature and skin color approached the recruits around Duncan's fire. They sat on different logs, the black haired one next to Daveth and the red head next to Jory.

"Are you the recruits Duncan brought?" Kallian asked.

"We're two of them. The other two are probably making out in some forgotten corner where they think no one can find them." She laughed a bit. Kallian noticed she had a lovely smile, imperfect teeth and all complemented by the fire adding a layer of warm overtones to her face.

"Oh give them some credit Natalia, they've been very professional when we were travelling." The dark auburn haired dwarf said.

"Oh great, we've got a mushy couple with us as well?" Mirah side-eyed Linara and Kallian "Just what we need."

"So, what are your names?" Kallian asked, pointedly ignoring Mirah's insinuation.

"I'm Natalia." The dwarf with chipped teeth said as she ran her fingers through her choppy hair. Kallian couldn't help but notice how soft it looked, she wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it. She snapped back to reality _"No little gay thoughts, not now"_ she mentally chastised herself.

"My name is Jolene." The other dwarven woman said absentmindedly tracing her facial tattoo, which looked very different from Natalia's.

"Ah, fuck two mages on their way." Mirah groaned. Kallian turned around to see them.

The two mages were very easy to spot, they were practically joined at the hip. The elf was significantly shorter than his human counterpart. They both had long dark hair. The elf's robes were a slightly different color. As the two came closer Kallian recognized the elf. She squealed like she was six years old again,

"Alinn!" She practically leapt over the log she'd been sitting on moments before. She ran towards him with arms outstretched. A moment of confusion on his part and he recognized her as well and ran into her embrace. When they collided she wrapped her arms around him and spun him around he was still light enough for her to pick him up, just like when they were kids. The two began laughing as they continued their hug. She peppered his face with kisses, before pulling him into another vice like hug. When Kallian let Alinn out of her iron grip she realized they'd both started crying. Purer tears had never fallen from her face.

"Maker's breath, it's been a while hasn't it?" Alinn joked as he wiped the tears from his face.

"Yeah, ten years." Kallian said, hands still resting on Alinn's shoulders, as if he would fade away if she let him go. She looked at the other mage, then back to Alinn,

"You've certainly done well for yourself." She said with a wink. Alinn's face went pink,

"I swear you're worse than Danya, speaking of- what happened to my family? Last thing I remember we were going to flee the city…"

"What? Oh Alinn they're still in Denerim, at first it was in case you escaped. Then when Victor- oh, you don't know about Victorhea do you?" Kallian said, realizing Alinn had missed quite a bit in his decade of imprisonment.

"What happened to her?" Alinn's mind flooded with images of plague, hate crimes and starvation.

"You mean, she wasn't at the circle with you?" Kallian had no idea how many circles were in Ferelden, she'd only heard of the tower on the lake.

"Victorhea is a mage too?" Alinn wasn't exactly shocked, his father was an apostate so it wasn't surprising that he wasn't the only one to inherit the abilities.

"They separate families." The human mage added.

"I'm Lyonel Amell." He said walking over to Kallian and holding out his hand. She took it and gave him a decent handshake.

"I'm Kallian, Tabris." She replied.

"Lyonel, what's your lady friend's name?" Daveth asked, gesturing to Alinn.

"I'm not a woman." Alinn said, eyes narrowed.

"You sure? Your voice and hips would suggest otherwise." Daveth continued sounding more confused than anything else.

"I'm sure, now you better stop your line of questioning if you don't want to know why mages are feared." Alinn said, a clenched fist beginning to smoke.

"I wouldn't be with him if he wasn't a man." Lyonel said as he wrapped an arm around Alinn's waist.

"Are you kids playing nice?" Deadrick asked as he and Duncan approached the fire.

"Yes sir." Alinn said, immediately stiffening.

"We must begin the joining immediately." Duncan said, eyes remaining on Linara a split second longer than the other recruits.

"You will have two tasks" Deadrick began, "You will enter the wilds and retrieve a vial of darkspawn blood, each of you will have your own vial."

"And second, there is an abandoned Grey Warden fort in the wilds, there are ancient treaties there that you must retrieve." Duncan said.

"So that's it? Get some blood some paper and we're in the clear?" Natalia asked.

"When you return we will tell you the rest, Alistair will be going with you." Deadrick said.

"No offense ser but I think there's enough of us already." Mirah pointed out.

"Only two of you have faced darkspawn before, he's going with you." Duncan said.

"Let's get going then, we have a limited amount of daylight left." Alinn said to no one in particular.

"As long as the robes stay faaar away from me." Mirah said as she took to the front of the group. Lyonel pointedly walked right beside her. The group of Warden recruits entered the wilds aware but unaware of the danger that lay before them.


	8. Enter the Wilds

Lyonel walked next to Mirah. He noticed her hand was resting on her sword hilt, he gave her the benefit of the doubt as to her exact reasoning behind that.

"So, Mirah right?" Before he had time to finish his question Linara had shot an arrow right past his face he followed the arrow's path and saw the wolf Linara must've spotted. A choir of angry growls and howls signaled the rest of the pack to attack the warden hopefuls. Lyonel's fire came from his fingertips in waves, the smell of burnt fur surrounding them. As the final wolf fell to the hunter's arrow Lyonel put his staff away. He felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see who it was. It was the tiny city elf, Kallian. She was catching her breath as she spoke,

"That, was impressive Amell." She half smiled at him, the kind of smile that said "let's fuck shit up and hope we don't get arrested" Lyonel liked this girl.

"None too shabby yourself Tabris." He said.

"So Lyonel, as the stand in for Alinn's _very_ protective older sisters I have to ask," She threw her arm around his shoulder, pulling him down to her height. "you care about him right? You're not just pulling him along because he's nice to look at or anything like that? Because if so you're going to have a small army of _very_ pissed off elves to deal with."

Lyonel made eye contact with the elf, her piercing green eyes a stark contrast against her tan skin and dusty blonde hair. "I assure you, I love him. I've been with him for three years and plan to be with him as long as he'll have me. Neither you or the rest of his family have any need to worry."

"I'm not related to him actually." Kallian said, removing her arm from Lyonel's shoulders.

"You don't have to share blood to be family." Lyonel pointed out.

Kallian smiled, "You're alright, for a shem." She lightly punched him in the arm. Lyonel smirked at her. He saw an injured man up ahead on the path. Mirah apparently spotted him at the same time and rushed over to him,

"What happened to you?" Mirah asked.

"He needs a healer, get out of my way." Lyonel demanded.

"I have bandages in my pack, there's no need." Alistair said.

Lyonel narrowed his eyes as Mirah got up allowing Alistair to bandage up the injured soldier. He rubbed his thumb into the palm of his hand, he was a healer, what was his purpose if not to heal? He moved aside to let the limping soldier pass him by.

"Did you hear that? An entire squad of experienced soldiers, this is dangerous we should go back." Jory said.

"Are all humans such cowards?" Linara asked, looking at Jory as if he were a pile on animal dung.

"I'm no coward, but this is foolish and reckless." Jory defended himself.

"Because that doesn't sound like something a coward would say at all." Lyonel muttered under his breath.

"The spawn aren't going to take us by surprise, that's why I'm here. There are darkspawn about but we're in no danger of walking into the bulk of the horde." Alistair said.

"You see ser knight we might die but we'll know about it first." Daveth said.

"I've got magic at my command, we'll be fine." Alinn said. Lyonel was thinking the same thing.

"That is, reassuring." Jory said, not sounding entirely convinced.

Lyonel rolled his eyes as the group finally began moving again. Mirah tried to step in front of him,

"Do you mind?" He asked.

"Yes, now get out of my way." She said, slamming her shoulder into him.

"No need to be rude." He said as he regained his balance.

"Just like we don't need two walking bombs yet here we are." She replied venomously.

"Mages aren't walking bombs," He considered making a pun but decided Mirah wasn't worthy of his humor, "We're humans and elves just like everyone else here. And I don't appreciate direct hostility from someone who I'm allegedly supposed to be able to trust with my life."

"Tevinter." She replied.

"Is not a justification for imprisoning mages from the time they're seven till they die!"

"Will you two shut the hell up? The darkspawn heard us!" Natalia butted in.

"Oh fuck." Lyonel breathed as about thirteen darkspawn ran towards the group. They were mostly the short kind, Lyonel kicked one in the face and focused on the one trying to climb up Kallian's back. The battle was unexpected but over fairly quickly. Lyonel and most of the other recruits filled their vials with darkspawn blood. Lyonel looked back and saw Alinn had a nasty cut on his forehead,

"You doing alright back there ma halla?"

"I'm fine emma lath, don't worry." He said as he began walking beside him.

"Worrying is my job." He pressed a kiss to Alinn's temple, healing magic closing the cut on his forehead instantly.

"I thought you didn't speak elvish?" Linara asked.

"Just those phrases, they're what my parents used to call each other." Alinn replied.

"That's meaningful." Linara said.

"I think we're getting close to the old fortress." Alistair said.

"Aaaand we've got company." Lyonel said, pulling out his staff as the Hurlocks approached.

A heavily armored Hurlock ran right toward the front of the group. Lyonel shot a bolt of lightning at it, as he did he felt an arrow whiz past his ear. He looked over his shoulder to see Linara who had apparently leapt into the air to get a better shot at the Hurlock, she was either an expert markswoman or she was willing to risk shooting Lyonel in the back of the head. All Lyonel cared about was that she'd hit her mark. Mirah stabbed a genlock in the face, Jory took down a Hurlock with his blade. The battle was over quickly with so many skilled recruits.

When the battle was over Lyonel was completely drained of mana, gripping his staff in order to remain standing.

"Mage, get over here!" Mirah called. Lyonel glanced over to her, her leg was bleeding badly.

"Oh, that's nasty." Lyonel said, forehead still resting on his staff.

"You're a healer aren't you? Heal me." She said.

"I'm, out of mana. You'll have to deal with it like the rest of us." He said between shaky breaths.

"I see how it is." Mirah muttered under her breath.

Lyonel squinted at Mirah, "Do you really think I'm so petty that I, a healer would refuse to heal someone just because they're rude? You certainly have a low opinion of people don't you?"

"You two can continue your little pissing contest after we get the documents and get the hell out of here." Natalia said.

"She's right, won't be long before its dark out and navigating our way back won't be fun." Alinn said, putting his hand on Lyonel's arm.

The group of recruits entered the long abandoned fortress, Alinn went over to a partially buried chest, its top had been broken in by some massive weapon anything that had once been in it was now long gone. He got up to tell the others if the treaties were here they were long gone when a voice came from the fortress,

"Well well, what have we here? Scavengers here to pick from a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?" A dark haired woman with violet lips and a dark maroon shirt approached the group.

"So what are you? Intruder or scavenger?" She asked.

"I wouldn't talk to her if I were you, she looks Chasind." Alistair said.

"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" The woman asked, raising her arms for effect.

"Yes, swooping is _bad_." Alistair said.

"You," she pointed at Kallian, "Women do not frighten like little boys, what say you?"

"Uh, can you give us the treaties?" She asked, a little unsure why the woman of the wilds picked her over the rest.

"I cannot for tis not I who took them, twas my mother."

"Caaaan you take us to her?" Kallian asked, very careful with her word choice.

"Such a sensible request, I like you." She said.

"Careful first it's 'I like you' then Zap frog time." Alistair said.

Alinn muttered in Lyonel's ear, "One more frog comment and I might actually do it."

Lyonel smirked at his lover's annoyance, he admitted to himself that he was feeling much the same way about all the frankly unoriginal frog comments.

The group followed the witch of the wilds to an old hut in the depths of the wilds. An old woman in withered clothes was standing outside the hut, arms folded as Morrigan brought the recruits to her mother.

"A witch of the wilds, we should be careful." Daveth said.

"Hush Daveth, if she's really a witch do you want to make her mad?" Jory replied.

"A smart boy, but ultimately irrelevant." The old woman said.

"We were told you have grey warden property." Jolene said.

"I do, here are your treaties, your seal wore off long ago I protected them." She said as she handed the ancient scrolls to Linara, who happened to be the closest at the time.

"Oh, you protected them?" Alistair said, surprised by her actions.

"Is that so surprising?" She said.

"Thank you." Kallian spoke up, since no one else seemed to be thinking about it.

"Such manners! Always in the last place you look for them, like stockings. You should warn Duncan that this blight is worse than he expects."

"Yes yes, now if you'll kindly see yourselves out-" Morrigan began.

"Don't be silly girl, these are your guests." Her mother interrupted.

Morrigan sighed, "Fine, let me show you out of the wilds."

The group made their way back to Ostagar without incident. Linara held the treaties as if she were afraid they would disintegrate in her grasp, probably not a completely unjustified fear. The group made their way to Duncan's fire, Alinn went over to the dog kennels, something about a flower. They arrived at Duncan's fire,

"Here are the treaties sir." Linara said as she gave them to the commander.

"We must begin the joining immediately." Duncan said as he put the papers away.

"I'll let the mages know." Deadrick said before heading toward the mage compound.

"Come with me." Duncan said. The time had finally come to see just how many of these recruits would truly become wardens.


	9. The Joining

"At last we come to the joining. The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint." Duncan said as he walked to the front of the group of recruits.

"We're going to drink the blood of those, those creatures?" Jory asked.

Duncan walked toward Jory, "As the first Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you. _This_ is the source of our power and our victory."

"Those who survive the joining become immune to the taint, we can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the Archdemon." Alistair said.

Lyonel looked at the other recruits briefly, wondering how many of them would actually survive the joining.

"We speak only a few words prior to the joining, but these words have been said since the first. Deadrick, if you would?" Duncan said.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you." Deadrick said looking down, refusing to meet the gaze of any of the recruits before him.

Duncan held a large silver chalice in his hand,

"Daveth, step forward."

Daveth took the chalice in both hands and looked at the blood within it. He drank the fluid and handed the chalice back to Duncan. He stood still for a few moments before he began to shake his head, grimacing. He staggered backward, Linara inhaled sharply. He let out twisted screams of pain head in his hands. The poor man could barely stand. He threw his head back, Alinn saw that his eyes had gone completely white.

"Maker's breath." Jory said, backing away from the sight before him.

Daveth's hand went to his own throat as he collapsed to the ground as if the blood was fighting him.

"I am sorry Daveth." Duncan said, still as a statue with the chalice in hand. Daveth only struggled for a few more moments before he died.

"Step forward Jory." Duncan said.

Jory drew his sword, stammering,

"But I have a wife, a a child! Had I known."

Duncan slowly walked toward Jory, unfazed,

"There is no turning back."

Jory continued walking backwards, soon he would be against the stone column,

"No, you ask too much. There is no glory in this."

Duncan drew his own blade. Jolene looked away, she didn't want to see any more death than what had sent her here. Mirah was angered at Jory's cowardice. All she could think of was Ser Gilmore, he had laid down his life for her. He was much more worthy than this coward who couldn't understand the meaning of sacrifice if it was carved into his skin. Jory entered a battle stance, they scrapped for a few seconds before Duncan buried his sword in Jory's stomach and said,

"I'm sorry."

Jory let out a groan as he bled out on the stone ground.

"But the joining is not yet complete." He continued, grabbing the chalice once again. The remaining recruits looked among themselves. Lyonel stepped forward, brushing hands with Alinn as he made his way to the front of the group.

"You are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good."

Lyonel took the chalice and drank from it.

"From this moment forward, you are a Grey Warden."

Lyonel grimaced as he felt a burning sensation in his throat and behind his eyes. He saw a tainted dragon, horrific and malformed. Then he collapsed.

Alinn's breath hitched. _Please don't be dead._ He thought to himself.

"Linara, step forward."

The Dalish woman looked visibly sicker from when she'd first arrived. Her eyes were sunken and her gait uneasy. She threw her hood back and took the chalice in both hands.

"Ma ghilana mir din'an" She said with a humorless smile as she stared at the chalice's contents. She took a quick gulp of the chalice. She too grimaced and let out a haggard grunt before collapsing to the ground.

Lyonel let out a small grunt as he started to get up. Alinn rushed to his side immediately helping him to his feet. Deadrick came over to them and guided Lyonel to the other side of the area. Alinn returned to the other recruits just in time to see Kallian grimace as the taint spread through her. She let out an unbearable scream before she fell. Alinn feared she wouldn't survive.

"Alinn, step forward."

Alinn felt as if his feet were made of lead. He wasn't afraid to admit he was scared. He took the chalice in one hand. He swallowed as he looked at the swirling blood in the chalice. The metallic smell was overwhelming. He made brief eye contact with Lyonel, he gave him a gentle nod and a soft smile. He drank from the chalice and handed it back to Duncan. He licked the corner of his mouth. He inhaled sharply and his knees gave out instantly. His only thought before blacking out was _fuck if I came all this way to choke on some blood and die I will personally haunt everyone here for the rest of their lives._

Linara woke up a few seconds after Alinn collapsed beside her. She let out a dry laugh,

"Halam'shivanas" She said wryly as she stood up and sauntered over to where Deadrick and Lyonel were standing. Deadrick placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded at her.

"Jolene, step forward."

Jolene stepped over Alinn to get to Duncan. She slowly drank from the chalice. Her body jolted, Duncan took the chalice from her before she ended up spilling it everywhere. She coughed intensely before collapsing right onto Kallian who was just getting up.

"Makers ass, perfect timing Joli." Kallian grumbled as she shrugged the dwarf off of her. Her fellow wardens beckoned her over to join them. A proud smile on Deadrick's face.

"Mirah, step forward."

Lady Cousland walked forward with her head held high, this was a woman who was unafraid of whatever was thrown in her path. She took the chalice in one hand and drank from it. Not even once breaking eye contact with Duncan. She grimaced, palm rubbing her forehead to try and alleviate the pain. She felt like someone had buried a broad-axe in her skull. Her vision clouded, all she saw was darkspawn, and a dragon. She swayed on her feet before falling to her side with a thud.

"And at last, Natalia step forward."

Natalia tried to ignore her gut feeling to run for the hills. She knew this would be a better life than she'd ever get in Dust town. She took the chalice, closed her eyes and drank all that remained. Her throat felt like it had been shoved into a pile of hot coals, a sensation she was not unfamiliar with. She grabbed her throat as she collapsed to her knees. She saw a blighted dragon, at least she thought it was a dragon and then she lost consciousness.

Alinn woke up a minute or so after Natalia went down. Lyonel was at his side immediately. Alinn leaned on his lover as he guided him over to his fellow wardens.

"We made it love." Lyonel whispered into Alinn's ear. He was elated, he was joining an honorable order dedicated to saving the world and he would never have to worry about his lover being torn from him by chantry cronies again.

Mirah woke up more sluggish than the rest. She rubbed her forehead as she got herself up. She nearly tripped on Jolene before noticing the dwarven woman in front of her. Deadrick guided her the rest of the way over. She wasn't quite steady on her feet but she firmly planted herself on the ground.

Natalia woke up sooner than the rest had, staggering to her feet. Deadrick went over to her and helped her steady herself. He tried to guide her over to the other wardens but she very adamantly insisted she didn't need his help and somewhat wobbly legged made her way over to the other wardens.

Once Natalia had joined them the other wardens watched Jolene nervously. Mirah in particular bit her lip. She tried to look peeved as she tapped her foot but it was clear she was more nervous for her fellow recruit than she was letting on. Kallian whispered to Linara,

"Do you think she died too?"

Linara looked at Kallian meaningfully before shrugging her shoulders and making an "I have no fucking clue" face.

A few more tense seconds passed before Jolene let out a small grunt, pushing herself off the ground, Duncan grabbed her hand.

"It is finished, welcome." Duncan said as he helped Jolene stand up. Jolene headed over to the other recruits, no the other _wardens_ who were all quite glad she'd survived.

"You had us worried for a minute there." Mirah said with a smile as she put her hand on Jolene's shoulder.

"You're not rid of me quite yet." Jolene said.

Lyonel wrapped an arm around Alinn's waist. Alistair walked over to the edge of the group,

"Two deaths, my joining we only lost one but it was, awful." Deadrick began, "Now there's one more thing, we take some of that blood and put it into a pendant, to remind us of those… Who didn't make it this far."

A silence fell over the new Wardens. Alinn laced his fingers through Lyonel's silently grateful that they'd both made it this far. Linara looked at her feet, almost like she was ashamed of herself. Kallian rubbed the back of her neck, long moments of silence always made her hyper-aware of her own body and she was never good at keeping still. Mirah and Jolene were completely still, perfectly poised noblewomen. Natalia was shifting on her feet, like she too was uncomfortable with the silence. Kallian took note of that.

"Linara, Alinn and Jolene the king has requested your presence at the war table. I would suggest not keeping him waiting, the rest of you come with me." Deadrick said.


	10. The Battle

The new wardens were at the back allowing the senior wardens to take the front lines with the ash warriors and their hounds. Deadrick was in front of them, why he'd been placed back with them versus at the front they didn't know and were too preoccupied to ask. Lyonel looked at Kallian. She held her swords so tightly her knuckles were practically white,

"Relax, you won't be able to get any good hits in if you're all rigid like that." He offered.

"How would you know?" Kallian asked, not harshly.

"Believe it or not before I developed my magic my parents trained me to be a warrior, they sure didn't get what they bargained for." He said with a slight smile.

"I'm sure they didn't." Kallian said.

"You surfacers ready to kick some darkspawn ass?" Natalia asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Lyonel said.

"Hey! Don't forget you've got that cutie waiting for you once all this is over." Natalia gave Lyonel a theatrical wink.

"Believe me I know." Lyonel said with a calm smile.

"Remember kids, we don't need any heroics, if the archdemon shows up leave it to the senior wardens." Deadrick said over his shoulder.

"Yes sir." Kallian said, "Also uh, Deadrick?"

"Hmm?" He responded.

"Uh." She bit her lip, concern written across her face like splattered blood, "Stay safe."

The old warden smiled, "No need to worry about me, I've been at this about as long as you've been alive."

"Yeah but, well try not to die. Please." She said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"I'll try my best kid." He said, tapping her shoulder encouragingly before once again turning his back on the new wardens behind him.

There was a tense silence as the new wardens looked among each other. Lyonel made sure to take note that Kallian was on his left and Mirah on his right, as long as he stayed near them they could all keep each other safe or at least safer. Mirah held her shield in front of her, her sword parallel to the ground. Lyonel held his staff in one hand, a healing spell on the tip of his tongue.

The lines of wardens in front of them were charging into battle. Lyonel's hands gripped his staff tightly. The darkspawn were breaking through the lines like they were nothing. Lyonel saw a warden in the distance getting overwhelmed. Lyonel mumbled a spell under his breath and sighed with relief as the healing glyph appeared at the stranger's feet. A genlock came running at Lyonel, he smacked it in the face with his staff, no point in wasting spells when he could use his staff in more common ways. He saw Natalia charging into the more heated parts of the battlefield out of the corner of his eye. While he had the moment he cast a healing aura around her. Fighting was never his strongpoint but he would put his healing skills to use while he could. The battle was rough but for the moment seemed survivable, especially once Loghain's troops joined the fray.

Kallian let out a terrifying scream unlike anything Lyonel had heard in his life. He looked at her to make sure she wasn't being torn apart. She was unmoving, that's when Lyonel saw Deadrick's headless corpse in front of her. Lyonel realized the blood all over Kallian was probably not darkspawn's. He shot a freezing spell over her shoulder. The Hurlock that was about to behead Kallian with a hatchet was now frozen in place.

"There'll be time to grieve later! Stay alive Kal!" He yelled to her over the frenzy of the battle.

She snapped back to reality and eviscerated the Hurlock Lyonel had frozen. Kallian's scream of terror had shifted to a horrifying battle cry for vengeance. Lyonel was unsure if he was terrified or impressed when Kallian ripped a darkspawn's ear off with her teeth. He tore his eyes off of her as a shriek knocked him down. He felt it drooling on him as a surge of electricity ran through his arm. He pushed the corpse off his body and cast a mind wave out. He'd bought himself a few minutes but had also used quite a bit of mana in the process. He smacked a Hurlock with his staff. The stunned beast fell down. Lyonel focused as he lit it on fire, primal magic had never been his strongpoint. His stun spell was beginning to wear off and he knew within moments he'd be surrounded by very angry darkspawn.

He shot an ice bolt at one of the darkspawn, he began backing away from it but the others were drawing closer. He yelled as he began shooting spells left and right, panic rising within him. He wanted to call for someone's help but didn't know who, he hadn't seen Natalia since the beginning of the battle and Mirah was probably as likely to stab him as any darkspawn. He was alone, he grimaced as he raised his staff above his head, eyes faltering on the staff's blade before he brought it down on his leg. He let out a pained noise before drawing energy from his own blood. He would survive this battle, one way or another. An aura of red spread from his hands. He stole the life right out of one of the hurlocks. He felt the dark power course through his veins, it was intoxicating and yet still stung like acid. Blood magic was unlike the other schools, it demanded awareness every time it was used, you had to fully commit yourself to it or you would fall, and Lyonel didn't plan on falling.

Lyonel saw soldiers falling all around him, somehow in all the chaos he'd lost sight of the others. He knew this battle would be no victory. He grimaced as he took out his dagger, he slit his palm open and summoned a demon, a fiery spirit of pride clawed its way out of the earth,

"Kill the spawn." He commanded it. The twisted fade creature began knocking darkspawn to the ground, it wouldn't change the tide of the battle but it might buy some soldiers enough time to flee. He switched his dagger to his other hand and was preparing to summon another demon when he felt a longsword rip through his chest. He looked down at the blade, there was blood everywhere. The blade was pulled out as his assailant kicked him to the ground. He fell face first into the dirt, fully expecting to die like that, but apparently whoever had stabbed him had different plans. Mirah was standing over him her teeth bared and a mixture of blood and dirt on her face,

"They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones. They shall find no rest in this world or beyond." She spat as she got up and left him to die. His head lolled to the side, he saw darkspawn getting further and further into their lines. He looked up to the tower, he prayed that Alinn and the others got to the signal in time. Lyonel's eyes traveled all the way to the top where he saw the signal fire blazing away. Lyonel smiled as he felt his life drawing out of him. His final thoughts,

" _Suledin ma Halla."_


	11. Tower of Ishal

Alinn and the rest of the group that had been assigned to the tower began walking toward the bridge. The group that would be on the battlefield were a little ways in front of them, Lyonel looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Alinn,

"So, you lot got some special mission or something?" He asked.

"We're lighting the signal fire at the top of the tower." Alinn explained.

"Good thing you're so good at primal magic," He kissed him gently, "I'll see you after the battle my dear."

"I Love you." Alinn said before pulling Lyonel into another kiss.

"I love you too." Lyonel said. He then began to walk away,

"Don't do anything too risky emma lath." Alinn asked.

"The Maker himself couldn't keep me from you ma halla, I promise." He said before he ran off to catch up with the other soldiers.

Linara walked up to Alinn and tapped his shoulder before pointing to the tower,

"We should head over." She said.

Alinn nodded as the two of them caught up with Jolene and Alistair who were just about to cross the bridge. The battle seemed like it was about to begin with the archers shooting from the ramparts. The group began running across the bridge, a large flaming projectile came flying toward them, it collided with the bridge sending two of them to the ground and nearly launching Jolene off the other side.

"We need to get to the Tower of Ishal!" Alistair called out over the chaos.

Alinn coughed as he helped Jolene back onto her feet.

"Didn't know spawn could use trebuchets…" She muttered.

"Let's get across before they fire another one." Alinn said.

The wardens ran across the bridge, Linara heard yelling from the tower,

"May the dread wolf not hear our footsteps." She muttered under her breath. As the group got closer to the tower a terrified looking circle mage and a knight, both covered in blood ran at them screaming,

"Darkspawn have taken over the tower! All the others died!"

"What? This place was supposed to be secure." Alistair said.

"Who cares? We need to get rid of them." Jolene said. She ran past the mage and knight and went right for the darkspawn scattered around the path to the tower. Alinn charged into the battle right behind her. Despite the rain he was able to use his fire magic. Linara was in a league all her own with her bow. Alinn noticed a healing glyph at his feet, he looked at the other mage who was clearly in the middle of enchanting the weapons around him. It was then that Alinn realized Lyonel must've cast it. He smiled at the thought of Lyonel making sure he was okay even when he was on the frontlines as he cast a chain lightning on the genlocks around them all.

After defeating the second wave of darkspawn the wardens had reached the tower, and told the guards to get reinforcements if there were any. Linara yanked the heavy wooden doors open without a problem. She trotted in, leading the group,

"Stop, there's a tripwire." She said as she crouched to deactivate the trap. Alinn stood behind her, a frosty aura at his fingertips should any darkspawn try to attack her while she was unprepared.

"Should be good now." She said as she stood up, knocking an arrow as she stepped into the room full of fiery barriers and barrels of varying sizes. A mismatched cacophony of battle cries came from virtually every corner of the room once the wardens were visible. Linara shot six arrows in rapid succession. Alinn froze a Hurlock who had begun to charge. Jolene and Alistair had run right at the beasts while Linara and Alinn moved swiftly in the background. Her silent movements amplifying her past as a huntress. Linara leapt over a flaming barrier and shot an arrow right into a Hurlock general's eye, through the slit in its helmet. As the final darkspawn fell they knew this assignment wouldn't be as easy as they had all suspected.

"There'll be more where they came from." Linara grunted as she pulled an arrow out of a darkspawn. Making a disgusted face at the squishing sound it made. She once again led the group into the spiraling rooms of the first floor, each room had darkspawn in it. The wardens were skilled but this was much more resistance than they'd expected.

"Crap." Linara said as she pulled out an arrow that had apparently decided to leave it's arrowhead in the darkspawn.

"This is going to be harder than we thought, isn't it?" Alinn asked Alistair.

"There weren't supposed to be any darkspawn here!" Alistair defended.

" _You_ try telling them they're in the wrong place, I'm sure it'll go over well." Jolene deadpanned.

"Who cares! What matters is they're here and we need to get to the top of the tower if those soldiers who are out there _dying_ while we argue have any chance of making it out of this battle alive!" Linara yelled.

"She's right of course, we need to get moving." Alistair said. The group was silent as they continued up the blood soaked stairs to the next floor. Alinn's anxiety was causing the air around him to become statically charged and significantly colder than the air around him.

"Breathe da'len. We need you present for the battle." Linara said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't stop thinking about the others down in the front lines…"

"They will be alright, I'm sure you'll be in his arms again before you know it." She assured him.

Alinn exhaled as the group trekked on. A fiery projectile came rushing toward them. Alinn instinctively set up an ice wall in front of the group. Shattering both the projectile and the wall on impact.

"We need to take out whichever one of them is firing those things! I can only make so many ice walls you guys." Alinn said. Linara shot one of the darkspawn and kicked another one in the face. Alinn, still recovering mana from the ice wall, was using his staff as a club when any darkspawn got too close to him.

"We need some magic over here!" Jolene yelled as a hurlock knocked her to the ground.

"Do you _want_ me to pass out?" Alinn yelled as he clubbed another darkspawn.

"I got this." Alistair said when he stabbed the Hurlock that had overrun Jolene.

The rest of the floor was comparatively easy as there were no flaming projectiles coming at them. Only two more floors before they'd be at the top, no doubt they'd missed the signal.

"The fate of all those soldiers lies on us." Jolene thought aloud as the group went up the stairs to the third floor. Jolene had somehow found herself at the front of the group, her blades shone with tainted blood. There were few events worthy of note until they reached the room right before the final staircase. A room full of caged mabari and even more darkspawn.

"Someone release the hounds!" Alistair yelled.

Jolene saw the lever in the middle of the room, she yelled over her shoulder, "Cover me!" To whom she was unsure, not that it mattered. She kicked the lever and the seven or so dogs immediately began attacking the darkspawn. The dogs ended the fight much quicker than the wardens alone could have.

"Let's get to that signal fire." Alinn said, maneuvering his way past the large dogs and the darkspawn corpses. When Alinn opened the door to the top of the tower he thought he was going to faint, standing there was a huge ogre flesh a putrid purple color.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He barely more than whispered as he tried his best to not attract the beast's attention as he entered the room. He cast an electricity spell on the beast. Linara shot an arrow into its leg, but it was clear her arrows meant for wolves and small bears would have no effect on the beast that was now charging at her.

"Fenedhis!" She shouted before breaking into a full on run, if that thing caught her she was dead.

"Stay away from her!" Alistair yelled as he buried his sword in the Ogre's leg. Jolene felt as if she were frozen where she stood, she felt like she was back in the deep roads facing certain death for killing her brother.

"Jolene, help!" Linara screeched, Jolene came back to reality, Linara's bow had been snapped and she was pinned to the ground by a darkspawn. Jolene ran to the elf's aid. Her hands trembled but a stab wound is a stab wound if the dead darkspawn was anything to go by. She gave Linara one of her blades,

"You need a weapon." She said. It was clear Linara had never wielded a sword before in battle and was mostly kicking and punching darkspawn at this point. Jolene saw Alistair and Alinn were having their own trouble with the Ogre. She swallowed hard, ignoring the gut instinct telling her to run for her life. She saw the beast pick up the small mage and begin beating him like a ragdoll. She ran at the beast, using her dagger as a means to climb the beast. Linara threw her blade at the Ogre and Jolene was able to make her way to the creature's face even faster. She stabbed it square in the eyes, causing it to drop Alinn's limp body to the ground. Alistair bashed his shield into the back of one of its legs and the ogre was on the ground. Jolene drew her blades out of the creature's eyes and stabbed it in the throat.

Linara was kneeling over Alinn, presumably checking if he was still alive. Jolene saw Alistair was lighting the fire, she went over to the windows to see the battle. It was clear they were being overwhelmed by darkspawn, but their orders had been to wait in the tower after they lit the fire. She also noted that Loghain's troops would no doubt turn the tide.

"Another wave!" Linara yelled before making some sort of grunting noise. Jolene whipped around to see dozens of darkspawn flooding the room.

"Ancestors have mercy on me." She said as she made what she had no doubt would be her final stand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Alistair get piled on by darkspawn after darkspawn. She closed her eyes and just swung her weapons wildly. She was unsure when she collapsed but she refused to let the last thing she ever saw be a darkspawn. She gave up, she accepted death.


	12. When The Blood Dries

Linara woke up to a harsh stinging on her side. She sat up and looked down at herself, immediately self-conscious about her chest, not that that was new.

"What happened?" She wondered aloud as she ran her hand over the gash in her side that someone had very precisely stitched together. She looked around the room, there were several animal pelts on the ground and a miscellaneous pile of books. It was not entirely unlike the inside of an aravel other than the obvious shape and material difference between the structures. She saw the door on the other side of the room open, she covered her chest instinctively as the witch Morrigan stepped into the room.

"I am pleased to see you live, I was beginning to have my doubts."

"The others, the other wardens I was with, what became of them?" She asked.

"Mother rescued them as well, do you not remember?" Morrigan asked.

"No, the last thing I remember was trying to see if Alinn was still alive, then there were darkspawn everywhere…" She shivered slightly at the memory.

"Yes well, the wardens on the field were betrayed, that general who was supposed to help you quit the field. The blonde, he isn't taking it well." Morrigan said, indifference clear in her voice.

Linara's mind went to Kallian and the other wardens in the field, they'd been depending on Loghain's troops. She wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or cry.

"Neither am I, that seth'lin coward is going to pay." She said through gritted teeth.

"No need to cover your chest, we're both women here." Morrigan said.

Linara looked at Morrigan, confident in her low cut top and compared her body to Linara's, it reminded her of just how childlike her own body was, at least in her eyes.

"Be that as it may I think you and I are very different types of women." Linara trailed off. Doubting herself once again. She would never look like Morrigan, she swallowed as she tried to ignore how deep her voice was and all the effort she'd had to put in to get this far while women like Morrigan just _were_ like that, no potions or voice exercises just… Morrigan interrupted her dysphoric spiraling before her mind could go any further,

"Your mind has drifted I see." Morrigan said.

"Sorry, I got caught up in my own thoughts, where are the others? And where is my armor?" She asked.

"They're outside, your armor is in that chest over there." She took one of Linara's hands and put the key in it before exiting the room.

Linara went over to the black chest Morrigan had pointed at, she opened it to find her armor and a bow unlike one she's ever seen before on top. She put her armor back on and examined the bow more closely, given the markings and the feather tied to one end of it it was likely chasind made. Linara had heard they were decent craftsmen for humans, she also had no other weapon so it would have to do. She made her way out of the hut to find Alinn, Jolene and Alistair outside.

"You made it! Thank the- We were worried." Alinn said.

"I'm alright, you look like you've seen better days however." She said, motioning to his black eye.

"Oh this? This is nothing compared to my ribs, if it weren't for Morrigan and her mother I'd most certainly be dead." He said, a slightly pained smirk on his face.

"We all would." Jolene said.

"Don't speak of me as if I'm not here." The old woman said.

"What do we call you though, you never told us your name?" Alistair asked.

"The chasind call me Flemeth and it works well enough for me." She said.

"So, what do we do now?" Linara asked Alistair, he was the most senior warden now if anyone would know it would be him.

"You end the blight is what you do." Morrigan's mother replied.

"How do we do that? There's four of us." Jolene asked.

"The treaties!" Linara remembered suddenly, "We have treaties for the Dalish elves, the dwarves and the mages they have to help us during a blight."

"And there's Arl Eamon, he practically raised me I'm sure he'll help us." Alistair said.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but mages, elves, dwarves, this Arl Eamon, sounds like an army to me." Flemeth said.

"Ah yes well good luck with that." Morrigan said.

"Don't be silly girl, you're going with them." Flemeth said.

"What?" Morrigan replied.

"You always said you wanted out of the wilds, well." She motioned to the wardens.

"Mother, this is not how I wanted this!"

"The wardens will need all the help they can get." Flemeth pointed out.

"We have always taken allies where we can find them." Jolene pointed out.

"How kind of you to cast me out like this, oh how fondly I shall remember this moment." Morrigan said to her mother.

"Well if she's coming with us I think we should get on the move on before the blight consumes the whole world." Alinn commented.

"Well mother don't forget the stew on the fire, I'd hate to return to a burned down hut." She said.

"It's more likely you'll find this whole area including my hut swallowed by the blight." Flemeth said.

"I, I only meant-" Morrigan began.

"Yes well, do try to have fun dear." Flemeth said.

The group of misfits made their way away from Flemeth's hut. Morrigan took to the front of the group,

"I suggest we resupply in Lothering, it's very centrally located and not too far from here." She said.

"And from there we can decide where to go next, good idea Morrigan." Linara said.

There wasn't much more conversation after that, Alistair was the quietest of them all barely even making eye contact with the others. Alinn stopped in his tracks when he heard something in the undergrowth,

"It's not darkspawn." He said. The rustling was getting closer and was paired with what sounded like hushed whispers. The others gathered around to see what was approaching while Morrigan rolled her eyes at them from a reasonable distance. Three battle ragged women climbed out of the bushes thorns and twigs sticking out of their hair.

"Alinn?" Kallian asked, relief evident in her voice.

"Thank the maker we weren't the only ones." Mirah said, smiling for the first time that Alinn could remember. Natalia pulled a twig out of her hair,

"By the stone, we thought you lot were gone for sure!" She said with a grateful smile.

Alinn noticed that all three of the wardens were injured but overall much better off than they could've been considering the circumstances. He did however notice that this seemed to be all of them,

"You three made it out of the battle, where's Lyonel?" Alinn asked.

The three women looked among themselves,

"I lost sight of him at the beginning of the mess. Sorry" Natalia said at last.

"Kallian?" Alinn's voice hitched.

"Last I saw him was a while before we left the-" She began.

"I saw him, he, he didn't make it. I'm sorry." Mirah said.

"Are you sure, absolutely sure that it was him?" Alinn asked, tears threatening to fall.

"I'm sure," She held out her fist and opened it, revealing a bloodstained pendant. "I took this off him before we fled, in case you wanted something to remember him by."

Alinn made a high pitched pained noise as he took the pendant. Almost instantly his knees gave out and he was on the ground, clutching the pendant to his chest. The ground around him was covered in frost, intricate icy designs creeping further and further from the distraught mage. The temperature around him dropped dramatically, as if they'd all been teleported to the tip of the frostbacks. He was inconsolable, sobs rippled through his small frame.

Kallian tentatively put a hand on his shoulder only to pull back immediately when frost began spiraling up her arm. She brushed the frost off her arm quickly. Mirah stomped her foot to get the frost off her boot. Natalia looked at him with a mix of pity and apprehension, this was the first time she'd seen a mage's magic respond to their emotional state.

"Alinn it isn't safe here, we need to keep going." Kallian finally said.

He looked up at her before getting back up,

"I know I know, let's just go." He said, voice devoid of any of the joy it might've had earlier.

He didn't let go of that amulet for the entirety of the journey. After hours of silent walking Kallian fell into pace with him, saying nothing but gently reminding him that he didn't need to bear his burden alone. He leaned on her slightly as they walked, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He felt so small under her arm, like a strong gust of wind would carry him away. Kallian saw the look of sheer defeat on his face, she knew nothing she said or did would really help him at this point but she stood by him nonetheless. After much traveling the beleaguered group of travelers decided to make camp for the night. As Alinn helped Alistair set up the fire he asked,

"May I perform a service for Lyonel?" He wasn't even directly asking Alistair, his question was more directed at the universe, as if a spirit or the Maker would say yes or no.

Alistair nodded and continued putting the firewood in a pile. Alinn set the fire with a snap of his fingers. The others knew Alinn would be doing some sort of service for Lyonel. He held Lyonel's bloodstained amulet in his hand, realizing it wasn't the circle amulet but his warden amulet. He pulled his arm back and held the amulet to his chest. He ripped a different amulet off his neck and threw it into the fire, rage burning on his face. He then put Lyonel's amulet around his neck and began to sing, it was quiet at first but got louder the longer he went on voice cracking as new tears threatened to fall,

 _Tuihemeh toi ma dore_

 _Omnare vira tir rehna_

 _Turena dorena,_

 _Tuihemeh toi ma dore_

 _Omne omne vira tir madore_

 _Turena dorena_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Turena dorena_

 _Tuihemeh toi ma dore_

 _Omnere mia dirmrena_

 _Turena dorena_

Eventually he was practically sobbing the lyrics, but he refused to stop, he would finish the song. Lyonel deserved that much,

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi Turena dorena_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi Turena_

 _Domna miri sollia_

 _Sidanomi_

 _Turena dorena_

 _Tuihemeh toi ma dore_

 _Omnere mia dirmrena_

 _Turena dorena_

He was out of breath and his cheeks were wet with tears, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, he'd given his partner a funeral. This wasn't quite closure but it was as close as he could get for the time being.

"That song wasn't elven, is it some sort of human funeral song?" Linara whispered to Mirah, who she figured would know the most about these things.

"I've never heard this language before." Mirah admitted.

"It's Tevene." Alinn said. "It was a traditional song Lyonel and I found in an old manuscript once."

"I'm guessing it was a funerary dirge?" Kallian asked.

"It was actually a love song." Alinn admitted, wiping his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

The others fell silent. After an awkward few seconds Alinn said,

"You can go, I know none of you knew him that well."

With that the others began to go, Natalia was the first with Jolene going shortly after. Kallian and Linara left not too long after them. Mirah was the last one to leave, she put her hand on his shoulder and said,

"I'm sorry about Lyonel, I know how much he meant to you."

Alinn didn't take his eyes away from the makeshift pyre, "Thank you, I know you didn't like him much or me for that matter… But your sympathy is appreciated."

Mirah felt a twinge of guilt as she looked at the grieving elf before her, she knew in her heart that killing the blood mage was the right decision and she would do it again in a heartbeat. She just wished he hadn't been with Alinn, it would've made it so much easier to look her fellow warden in the eye.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you care about if you ever want to, talk about it." She hoped her words didn't sound as hollow as they felt, she felt bad for Alinn she truly did but how could she offer to comfort him when she was the reason he was like this in the first place?

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass for now." He said.

Mirah nodded and went to her tent leaving Alinn with the pyre. He breathed out as he stared at the swirling fire before him,

"I'm going to miss you emma lath, I'm going to miss you so much." Alinn extended his arm in front of him and dropping the ring the circle had given him into the flames. He watched the flames lap at the metal finding a strange bit of peace in watching the flames. He watched the flames the rest of the night, it was the closest he would ever get to giving his Lyonel the proper funeral and vigil he deserved.


	13. Lothering

Mirah was one of the first to wake up that next morning, the nightmares had been awful. A dragon with twisted teeth had been roaring all throughout the night in her mind. From the looks of her companions she wasn't the only one who'd had a restless night. Alinn looked simply haunted but Mirah wasn't sure nightmares were the reason for that. The group sat around the ashes of their campfire and passed around fistfuls of berries that Morrigan and Linara had gathered the night before, seeing as they were the only ones present who knew which ones were and weren't poisonous.

"So, how did you end up joining the wardens?" Natalia asked Kallian but was loud enough that it could've been a general question.

"Mass murder." Kallian said, "How about you?"

"Shamed the entire warrior caste, and mass murder." Natalia said.

"Are we just not going to ask for any information beyond the 'mass murder' bit?" Jolene interjected.

"Okay, a bunch of human nobles kidnapped me, my cousin and my closest friends on my wedding day and I butchered my way out." Kallian said, "That enough detail for ya?"

"I was just taking orders, then I had to kill my way out of a carta prison cell." Natalia said. "What about you princess?" she gestured to Jolene.

"I'm not a princess and I don't think it's relevant, we're all grey wardens now, who we used to be doesn't matter." She said, looking away from Natalia.

"Bullshit, I know you got exiled and you have to do some bad shit for that." Natalia prodded.

"It's none of your business." Jolene visibly stiffened, her eyes shifting all around her.

"I was recruited because my entire family was slaughtered by someone who was once our closest ally." Mirah said, hoping her own admission would let Jolene open up to her fellow wardens.

"We need to know each other if we're supposed to trust each other." She continued.

"I became a warden because my best friend lied to my face in order to achieve his own freedom." Alinn muttered, he hadn't thought anyone was listening but _everyone_ had heard.

"I became a warden because I was dying, Deadrick said he had a cure and my clan basically gave me away." Linara stared at the ground as she spoke.

"We've all told our stories, now you tell yours." Kallian said drawing attention back to Jolene.

"Fine! If you all want to know so badly I killed my brother!" She practically shouted, "I killed him, I killed him in cold blood…" her lip began to tremble, she blinked slowly and said no more as she got up and packed her bedroll. The other wardens looked among themselves briefly before they all packed up the remains of their camp. They needed to get to Lothering as soon as possible. Natalia and Kallian walked side by side chatting in hushed voices to pass the time.

"So, you're from Orzammar, you didn't happen to see any elves recently did you?" Kallian asked, remembering how Chartan had asked her to keep her eye out for Amadin in the deep roads.

"I remember this one elf a couple weeks ago looking for work, didn't talk to him though. I was there to shake the info out of some poor slob."

"Do you remember what he looked like?" She asked, hoping against all hope that she'd found out what happened to Amadin.

"Short brown hair, about the same height as the doorframes, nasty scar on his cheek though." Natalia said.

"Holy shit, that's him! Do you know what happened to him?" She asked.

"That was the only time I saw him, family of yours?" Natalia asked, although the elf she'd seen had looked more like Alinn that Kallian if she thought about it.  
"Alinn's family actually, an old friend asked me to keep an eye out for him. At least I know he was in Orzammar."

"Not to rain on your parade sunshine but, lots of elves come through Orzammar looking for work usually in the deep roads, and not all of them come back." Natalia remembered when she'd run messages to the surface section of the carta she'd pass by many an elven corpse on her way.

"It's better than always wondering." Kallian said as she looked at Alinn. As a child no one had ever explained why he was taken by the shems, or why his sister was taken two years later. She always had this almost childish hope that one day they'd just come back and everything would be like it used to be. That never happened.

"I guess so." Natalia said.

"Do you miss Orzammar?" Kallian asked.

"I'm not used to this sky thing, or how bright everything is, I feel like I'm going to walk into a fucking tree any minute now." Natalia said, shielding her eyes from the mid-morning sunlight.

"Just wait until it rains." Kallian mused.

"The fuck is rain?" Natalia asked.

"When water falls out of the sky." Kallian said.

"You're fucking with me, you have to be joking that's so fake." Natalia said.

"No, that's a fairly regular thing that happens here on the surface. You'll see soon enough." Kallian said, amusing herself at the mental image of Natalia cursing at the clouds profusely for making it rain.

Meanwhile toward the middle of the group Linara and Alinn had fallen into an even pace,

"Alinn, do you know anything about making potions?" She inquired, this was the longest she'd gone without her tincture and she feared what would happen if she was off it long-term.

"Yes, why are you feeling ill?" He asked.

"I have a, condition that needs a certain mixture of herbs to manage. I know what they are and where we can find most of them but I've never made it myself." She explained, uncertain just how much information she should share with the virtual stranger.

"I think we may have similar conditions." Alinn said as he pulled a potion out of his bag, pulled the stopper out with his teeth and drank it.

"I'll make your potion as soon as I can I promise." He said.

"You're, like me?" she hesitated, afraid she'd already revealed too much.

Alinn pulled his robes taught against his lean frame revealing an hourglass figure,

"Indeed I am." He said before letting go of the fabric once more hiding his figure behind the shapeless robes.

"How were you treated, in the circle for it?" Linara blurted out, she had the feeling it was rude to ask but she had to know what life for people like her was like outside of a dalish clan.

"Hardly anyone knew, I was already going by Alinn by the time I was taken, and when I started to change I went to a healer and explained the situation. We managed to make it work and I eventually learned to make my own potions, I could teach you too." He said. Other than that healer Lyonel and Jowan were the only ones in the circle who knew about Alinn's gender.

"I would, appreciate that. Ma Serannas." She said.

"That means, thank you right?" Alinn half asked.

"Yes, do you speak much elven?" Linara asked.

"I used to, when I arrived at the circle they wouldn't let me speak it… I didn't talk much after that and now I've sort of, forgotten it…" Alinn couldn't meet Linara's eyes he felt so ashamed for letting such an important piece of his culture slip through his grasp.

"I could teach you." Linara offered.

"Really? I uh, I'd like that thank you Linara, really." Alinn said.

"Anything for the only other Dalish him'lin here."

"Him'lin?" Alinn asked.

"Changed blood, the word for those like us." Linara said.

"We, we have a word for it?" Alinn was so surprised, if he'd ever heard this word it had long been beaten out of his memory. If the Dalish had a word for it then there were more elves like him, he and his father weren't just rare one in a million cases. _He wasn't the only one._

"We have a word for it." Linara smiled. It brought a warmth to her heart to know that Alinn finally had a word for who he was, she remembered the feeling all too well herself.

The group was on a quiet dirt road, nothing to disturb them until two mabari came running at them full speed. Mirah recognized the dark one as her own, Asher. She'd feared the worst at Ostagar and was elated to find him alive and seemingly unharmed. The other one was barking at Alinn. Once he realized the dog wasn't about to bite him he recognized it as the hound he'd cured at Ostagar.

"The Kennel master said you'd make it." Alinn said as he rubbed the dog's head.

"I think he was looking for you, imprinting they call it. Mabari are special like that." Alistair said.

"I've always wanted a pet, can't hurt to keep him around." Alinn said.

"What'll you name him?" Jolene asked standing a fair distance from both dogs.

"Falon." Alinn said, looking at Linara as he spoke. A small smile played at the corner of her lips.

Shortly after the dogs had arrived the group sensed a group of darkspawn en route. The group drew their weapons, the dogs were the first to charge into the fray. The battle ended quickly. Alinn and Mirah were glad to see the dogs were uninjured.

"It's good to see you too Asher." Mirah said as she let her charcoal dog lick her face.

"We should keep moving." Jolene said. The group went up a ramp and they were now officially on the white stone imperial highway, it wouldn't be too long before they came upon a place to resupply.

The small village of Lothering was finally within their sights, all that stood between the group and temporary safety was a group of men standing further ahead on the road. Alinn walked toward the front of the group accompanied by Jolene. The bandit leader spoke,

"Another group of refugees, led by an elf of all things!" He said.

"Twenty silver to cross." One of his henchmen said.

"We aren't refugees." Alinn said.

"Doesn't matter, toll applies to everyone that's why it's a toll and not a refugee tax." The leader said.

Alinn's hand shone blue, "Do you really want to mess with a mage."

"Maker's breath he's going to turn us into frogs!" the bandits drew their weapons.

"Why is it always frogs with you people?" Alinn shouted over the fray as he shot spell after spell at the bandits. The bandits were falling fast, no match for this many fierce fighters. Their leader was on the ground, Jolene had a sword to his throat,

"Wait wait mercy! You can go, I'll give you all the money we have I swear just don't kill me!" He begged.

"You targeted refugees fleeing the end of days to make a quick profit, and now you're trying to buy your own safety, shems like you disgust me." Kallian said.

Jolene killed him quickly. The group left the stolen money where it was. Kallian noticed a locket on the ground,

"The owner will probably appreciate this." She mumbled as she put it in her pack. The group walked down the ramp and stopped,

"Ah Lothering, pretty as a painting." Alistair said, the first he's spoken in quite some time.

"You've decided to rejoin us I see? Falling on your blade in grief seemed too much effort?" Morrigan mocked.

"Is it so hard to understand why I'm upset? How would you feel if your mother died?" Alistair asked.

"Before or after I stopped laughing?" She asked.

"Oh, I suppose this is the part where we're shocked to learn you never had a friend in your life?" Alistair said.

"Will you two stop it? We have more important things to focus on." Mirah said.

"She's right, we need to talk about where we're going after this rest stop." Jolene said.

"Have you looked at those treaties yet?" Alistair asked Linara.

"Yes, we have treaties for my people, the dwarves of Orzammar and the circle of magi." She said.

"There's also Arl Eamon, he's one of the most popular Arls in Ferelden and he was Cailan's uncle. We might want to go to him first but it's up to you." Alistair said.

"You're the most experienced one here, why don't you decide?" Natalia said.

"You're all wardens too." He said.

"She's right though, you've been a warden the longest." Mirah said.

"Don't you lot go backing out on me now, I'm a better follower than a leader I don't care which one of you decides let's just make up our minds."

"I think the circle of magi would be a good idea, it's closest." Mirah said.

"I think we all need more time to think of the best group to contact first." Alinn said his overly large smile clearly an attempt to hide his discomfort at the idea of going back to the circle. The group didn't say anything else on the matter as they continued down the ramp to the small village. They spotted a large ashen figure in a cage just outside the village. Natalia narrowed her eyes as she approached the praying figure in the cage.

"Have you come to mock me dwarf?" He asked.

"I mostly came to see what you're doing here."

"Sitting in a cage." He replied.

"Hilarious. Why are you in the cage?" Natalia asked.

"Why do you ask?" He asked.

"We're on a quest and a giant warrior might be helpful." Natalia said.

"We already have Mirah." Alinn said.

Mirah rolled her eyes but was actually glad to be compared to a qunari.

"The revered mother put me here." The qunari said.

"Maybe we should talk to her about letting you out, being left to starve in a cage is a fate no being deserves." Kallian said.

"I guess our next stop is the chantry." Jolene said.

"Oh fantastic." Alinn deadpanned. Linara cast him a sympathizing glance, she wasn't looking forward to it either.

He fell to the back of the group, using his staff as a walking stick in an attempt to look less obviously like an apostate. The group walked past many impromptu refugee shelters as they made their way toward the local chantry. Alinn breathed deeply, no doubt the place would be crawling with Templars. He shot a glance at Morrigan who walked with the confidence only a lifetime of freedom could grant. Alinn was jealous of that air she had about her. The group walked into the chantry courtyard, Alinn glanced in first to assess the situation. His heart stopped when he saw the Templar.

He knew it was him, it shouldn't be him but it was him. Alinn hid behind the brick wall outside the chantry, he couldn't let him see him. If he knew Alinn was here he'd probably drag him back to the circle or worse. Alinn could feel his hands shaking and his breath becoming shallower as panic flared across him. He clutched his chest and squeezed his eyes shut, he wasn't supposed to be here, he was supposed to be back at the tower _why is he here_. He felt himself slipping down the stone but was too busy trying to prevent his emotions from setting something on fire to care. Memories were flooding back to him, memories he'd tried and tried to keep in the darkest corners of his mind were now being dragged into the light.

 _Dark hallways, clang of metal, don't make noise, wandering hands, nothing he could do to make it stop. Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't Touch me._

"Alinn, are you okay?" Mirah asked.

Alinn didn't hear her, he was too far drawn into his own memories. It was too real, he was back in the tower and it was happening all over again. No, he wouldn't let his memories drag him back to that hell. He needed to ground himself, he needed to know where he really was. He pressed the knuckle of his thumb into the palm of his hand as hard as he could. He was still panicking, but he could see where he really was now. Not in the alabaster halls of Kinloch but in the open spaces of the Ferelden countryside.

"Alinn! Can you hear me?" Mirah raised her voice to try and break through Alinn's daze.

Alinn slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground, his breath was uneven and rushed. He was shaking like a leaf and his tears just would not stop. Mirah reached out to touch him. She didn't think it was possible but he somehow made himself even smaller, he began with a shout,

"Don't touch me! Please don't touch me…" he practically whimpered.

A man began walking over to Alinn and Mirah,

"Excuse me ma'am, is he sick? Because we really don't have space for sick knife ear refugees." The man asked.

"He's fine." Mirah said through gritted teeth.

"Can I just get a closer look? He seems really sick on account of all that shaking-" the man began, before he could finish the tip of Mirah's sword was pressed to his throat.

"Don't. Touch. Him." She said, unwavering.

The man raised his arms in surrender,

"I can see you have everything under control with your servant." He began to back away, "I'll just be going now."

"He's not my servant." Mirah muttered under her breath as the man fled. Once he was a fair distance away Mirah turned her attention back to the mage, his gaze said he was a million miles away. She crouched in front of him. He blinked as if realizing she was there for the first time.

"You going to tell me what all this is about?" She asked.

" _He's_ here, the Templar is _here_." Alinn said.

"Of course there's Templars here. We're standing outside a chantry Alinn! Besides you grew up in the tower I figured you'd be used to them by now." She said.

"You don't understand, this one he. He _did_ things to me. He wouldn't leave me alone. I- I can't" Alinn covered his mouth to muffle his sob. Mirah looked at Alinn again,

"What did he do?" she asked as gently as she could manage.

Alinn's hands trembled as he spoke, "He would, touch me and he would say these things, horrible things. What he'd do to me if I said no, he- he did this for years. There was nothing I could do to make him stop, even if I'd tried to use magic which would've been suicide he used his Templar abilities to make sure I couldn't fight back and he would always make these comments and I always knew that he could do whatever he wanted but I was so helpless and I can't do this I can't, you probably think I'm lying after all other mages had it much worse I'm just too pathetic to deal with it I'm a fake I should be grateful it wasn't worse maker knows he could've made everything much worse he could've-"

"Alinn!" Mirah interrupted.

"Huh?"

She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned in close enough that Alinn could see the individual flecks of dark green in her eyes,

"I believe you."

Alinn wrapped his arms around Mirah's neck and buried his face in her shoulder, she was the only non-mage who'd ever believed him.

"Why did no one do anything about it?" She asked.

"I never told anyone." Alinn admitted, looking at the ground.

"Why? Shouldn't his superiors have done something about it?"

Alinn looked at her like she was some innocent child, "How do you think his superiors got to where they were? All Templars abuse mages and the ones that don't do it outright look the other way when they see it happen. I'm hardly the only mage it was happening to."

"Are you saying that those Templars knew you were being abused but didn't step in? I thought the Templars existed to protect mages." Mirah said.

"Maybe that was their original purpose, now its just where a knight can do whatever he wants to someone who can't say no out of fear of murder or mutilation."

"I had no idea…" Mirah trailed off, she'd always assumed those mages who complained about circle brutality were being dramatic but here was Alinn, barely an adult telling her that he'd been abused practically his whole life by the very order that was supposed to protect him. Maybe everything she'd heard about the circle had been wrong after all.

"No one on the outside does." Alinn said at last as he stood up, still leaning on the brick wall.

"What did you say that Templar's name was?" Mirah asked, if this Templar was the one Alinn spoke of she was going to make sure he never hurt another mage again.

"Ser Bennet, his name is Ser Bennet." Alinn said.

Mirah nodded, she went over to the Templar outside the chantry, he was tall and could easily overpower Alinn. She hoped for his sake this wasn't the Templar. She walked up to the human,

"Excuse me Ser, do I recognize you from somewhere?" she began.

"My name is Dennison if that rings any bells." The Templar said.

"My apologies, I mistook you for someone else." She walked back over to where Alinn was still leaning on the wall, seeming to no longer be as panicked.

"It's not him Alinn." She said.

"You're sure? I, I thought it was him." He looked around the corner at the Templar.

"Maker I'm losing my mind, he doesn't look a thing like Bennet what's wrong with me." He buried his face in his hands.

"Alinn, Alinn look at me!" Mirah said, cupping Alinn's face so he had to look at her,

"You've been locked in a tower for over a decade and the first time you're free you lose the man you love and witness more death than you've ever seen before and now you're one of the last people in all of Thedas who can save the world. It's completely understandable that you're reacting this way."

"None of the others are fucking hallucinating!" He was shaking again. Mirah was not about to let him shut down again, it had scared her enough the first time.

"Alinn, you saw the armor and your mind jumped to conclusions, it happens to everyone. You're fine. You're going to be okay." She said, what was taking the others so long in that damned chantry?

"How do _you_ know that?" He asked, voice cracking.

"You're stronger than you think." She said. "Why don't we do one of these chanter's board quests to kill some time?" Mirah hoped the distraction would be good for the mage. They walked away from the chantry. Alinn saw a rather desperate looking family of elves, he pulled on Mirah's sleeve,

"I need to know if we can do anything for them." He said as he guided her to them.

"Do you have any coin to spare? All of our belongings were stolen by those bandits." The father elf asked, resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Alinn pulled out some coins, "Here's twenty silver," he looked at Mirah, "We also killed those bandits on the way in, your belongings are probably still there."

"I knew one of our own would help us. We should go see if our stuff is still there." The elven woman said to her husband.

Alinn smiled as he and Mirah crossed a white cobblestone bridge to the other half of the village. Alinn spotted an elderly woman handing out blankets and potions, she looked exhausted.

"Do you think we could help that woman there?" Alinn asked motioning to her.

Mirah looked at the woman,

"Couldn't hurt to ask."

Alinn and Mirah walked over to the woman,

"You two got a place for tonight because we really need to focus on the less fortunate refugees."

"We were actually hoping we could help you. Is there anything you need?" Alinn asked.

"I don't suppose either of you know any herbalism?" The woman asked.

"I do actually, what do you need?"

"Health poultices, we're low on them. I'm sure you can find the herbs for them in the field just outside the village. I'd scrounge up some sort of reward for you."

"How many do you think you'll need? I have some with me but if this isn't enough I can make more easily." Alinn said as he began to pull multiple poultices out of his bag.

"Oh my, you're a very well prepared young man aren't you?" She asked as he kept piling poultices into her arms.

"In our line of work you have to be. That's all the ones I have, do you think it'll be enough?" He asked.

"This will save a lot of people," she handed the poultices off to one of the other women in the area. "you're a good sort you know? And here's your reward, as promised." She said as she placed a few silvers into his hand. Alinn placed the coins into his pack and then it was time for him and Mirah to go deal with some diseased bears or something outside of town.

"We should keep an eye out for that boy's mother." Alinn said absentmindedly.

"I think I found her." Mirah said as she stood over the body of a dead red haired woman.

"And I think we have company." Alinn said as he pulled his staff out.

"Wolves, just great." Mirah said as she unsheathed her sword. Her and Alinn's dogs joined the fight as well but the brunt of the pack was focused on the shield maiden and the mage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him spin his staff above his head before slamming it into the ground. The blue lightning pulsating from his staff causing five wolves to fall. Mirah killed the other ones. Alinn turned to her,

"I need to gather some herbs, I'll be back in a minute."

"Alright but if you get kidnapped by bandits I'm letting them keep you."

"Same goes for you." Alinn said as he wandered away. He saw a patch of elfroot and took a few stems leaving the rest for any village healers. He knew for his own potion he needed embrium as well as the elfroot. Linara's potion would require spindleweed instead of embrium. He hoped he could find those herbs here. He walked over one of the small hills.

"Ah shit." He muttered as he realized he was standing right above a bandit camp. He looked to the side and saw his mabari approaching, Alinn put a finger to his lips and then motioned for the dog to come to him. The bandits apparently hadn't noticed the lone elf and his mabari standing over their camp. Alinn decided to give them a _shocking_ surprise. He cast a chain lightning on them and told Falon to get them. He continued casting spells from a distance. He winced as an arrow hit his gut, but instead of showing any pain he decided to mock the bandits instead because nothing matters anymore.

"That was nothing compared to the ogre! Give me a real fight you coward!"

Unfortunately the bandit decided to take Alinn up on his offer. Alinn smacked him upside the head with his staff while freezing one of the bandits down below. He set the man's bow on fire and fired a few more bolts at the man for good measure. Once the battle was over he made sure Falon was alright, most of the blood wasn't his.

"Good dog." He said. Alinn looked among the thieves belongings for anything worth keeping or trying to locating the original owner. Nothing stood out, although their camp was on the edge of a river that had spindleweed growing on the riverbank.

"Found your herb Linara." He said to himself as he harvested lifesaving herbs with bloodstained hands. He washed his hands in the water, feeling the small current flow around his hands. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt that before.

"It's really nice to be free." He said to himself. Falon mushed his face into Alinn's, Alinn wrapped his arms around the dog's neck.

"Yes it's nice to have you here too." He reassured the dog.

"We should get back to the others." He said, not entirely sure why he was talking to a dog but not caring enough to actually stop. When he came back to where he'd last seen Mirah she was nowhere to be found,

"Oh crap." He looked around and saw the large group of misfits standing by the now open qunari cage. If Mirah was anywhere it would be there, he rejoined the others.

"What happened? You and Mirah just vanished, we were worried." Kallian said when Alinn returned to the group.

"I'll explain later." He said.

Meanwhile it had been decided that the qunari known as Sten would be joining the group. Whether or not they'd convinced the revered mother to let Sten go or if Kallian had just broken the lock Alinn wasn't sure and wasn't particularly concerned. He saw Linara and tapped her shoulder,

"Hmm?" she responded.

"I found the herbs." He whispered.

"You sure they're the right ones?" she asked, worry clear on her face.

"I'm certain." He said.

"Ma serannas." She said.

"Now how about we actually do what we came here for and resupply?" Natalia asked the group.

"That inn might have some supplies, or at least decent food." Mirah said.

"We might not all want to go in with our new friend here." Natalia nodded to Sten.

"I need flasks for potions, and possibly robes that _aren't_ covered in blood." Alinn said. Most of the others had armor while he still had a glorified bloodstained gown on.

"I'll go with you, anyone else want to go into the inn and possibly resupply?" Natalia asked.

"I'll stay out here." Mirah said.

"I'll go to the inn." Kallian and Alistair said.

Linara just pointed to the ground. Morrigan was leaning on Sten's cage and it didn't seem like she was going anywhere anytime soon.

"Alright we'll see you in a bit." Alinn said as he and the others headed toward the inn.

The group that had opted not to go into the inn walked a small distance away from the town so as to avoid panicking the villagers with Sten being out of the cage. They were greeted by a group of about ten refugees,

"We heard y'all are wardens. I don't know if it's true that you killed the king and Maker forgive me, I don't care. There's a bounty on your heads that would fill a lot of hungry bellies. Attack!" One of them said.

"Poor decision." Morrigan said as she touched her forehead and whipped her arm away from her, sending out a paralyzing wave at the refugees. Linara shot arrows at the paralyzed men while Jolene and Mirah focused on the men who were out of Morrigan's range. The battle was very short, those refugees hadn't stood a chance.

Meanwhile inside the inn things weren't going much better for the other wardens.

"Didn't we ask about an elf by this very description and everyone said they hadn't seen one?" One of Loghain's soldiers asked his comrade.

"Loghain betrayed us at Ostagar." Alinn said, not breaking eye contact with the soldier.

"The grey wardens betrayed the king!" One of the men said right before pulling out his sword.

"I suppose violence is the solution, sometimes." A redheaded lay sister said as she jumped right to the wardens's defense with a dagger. Alinn was nervous about using his magic in such a crowded space but he really had no other option. He froze one of the soldiers. The battle was over, not with death this time,

"Wait wait mercy!" The soldier begged.

"Good, they've seen reason and we can all stop fighting now." The chantry sister said as she wiped blood off of her face.

"Bring a message to Loghain." Alinn said, voice cold as ice.

"What do you want me to tell him?" The soldier asked, still fearful for his life.

Alinn's eyes bored into the soldier, "The Grey Wardens know the truth."

"Yes right away sir, thank you sir." The soldier said as he and two of his comrades half limped half ran out of the inn.

"Sorry for just jumping in back there, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." The sister said as she cleaned the blood off her dagger with her robe.

"It's fine, although most chantry sisters I know don't know how to fight like that." Alinn said.

"I'm Leliana a lay sister here at the chantry and I'm here to help, you're grey wardens right?" She said.

"That we are." Natalia said.

"We could use any help we can get." Alistair said.

"That and the Maker wants me to go with you." Leliana said.

"Uh, excuse me?" Alinn asked.

"I had a dream, a vision, the Maker wants me to help you stop the blight." Leliana explained.

"Welcome to the group Leliana, although this is only about half of us, the rest are outside." Alinn said. With that the inn group finished their escapade without a hitch and went to join the rest of their group outside. They followed the bloody trail to find the rest of them defending two dwarven merchants from Darkspawn.

"This day is just never ending is it?" Natalia asked as she shanked a genlock. The battle was mostly over by the time they'd gotten there anyway.

"Thank you strangers, we'd've been dead for sure if it weren't for you lot." A brown haired dwarf with a braided beard said.

"We're Grey Wardens, it's what we do." Jolene said.

"Well if there's any way we can repay you you let us know."

"Having a merchant travel with us could be convenient, and dangerous." Mirah said.

"You lot might be a bit too exciting for my boy and me, but we sure do appreciate you saving us." He said.

The wardens turned their attention away from the father son duo and to where they were going next,

"Have we come to a decision?" Alistair asked the group.

"Arl Eamon." Alinn blurted out.

"I agree, if we get the nobles to support us things will be easier in the long run." Mirah said.

"Any objections?" Alistair asked the group. The others didn't seem to care much one way or another.

"Alright, looks like we're going to Redcliffe." Alistair said.

With that the ragtag wardens headed down the imperial highway, leaving Lothering and all its villagers behind them.


	14. Battle of Redcliffe

The group had been walking since the sun came up that morning, Alinn had never walked so far in his life, he sat briefly to cast a healing spell on his feet, cursing under his breath for not paying more attention to Lyonel's impromptu lessons. He winced as he saw the blisters all over his feet,

"Maker's breath this isn't fun." He muttered as he put his boots back on, he hadn't fallen incredibly far behind the others so he didn't have to rush to catch up to them. Jolene looked over her shoulder and fell back a little to walk by his side,

"Do you have a moment Alinn?" She asked.

"Sure, we've got some time before we reach Redcliffe." He said.

"We we're just thinking about which group we should contact after we secure the Arl's support, any opinions?" She asked.

"Any idea where your clan is Linara? That would be the easiest way to contact the Dalish." Alinn asked. Linara who was only a few paces in front of them looked over her shoulder,

"I could take us to the last place they were but they're no doubt long gone by now. My people will no doubt be the hardest ones to locate." She began walking backwards. "Besides, I think going to your mage tower next would be easiest and the best choice strategically, no point in letting the best and most skilled of the population rot away in that tower when they don't have to."

"I think going to the dwarves would be easy enough, I was looking at the treaties last night and it seems like all we'd have to do is ask the King and he'd have to help us." Alinn said.

"Might not want to bring me when you go to the royal palace." Jolene said, running a hand through her hair.

"Why?" Alinn asked.

"Remember when I said I killed my brother? Well my brother was next in line for the throne…" Jolene trailed off.

"You're a princess?" Alinn asked, she did have that air of nobility about her but it was one thing to be nobility and very much another to be royalty.

"Not anymore, I don't even have a name. As far as Orzammar is concerned I no longer exist so let's just forget I even mentioned it okay?"

"Alright, sorry."

Linara went back to walking forward and left Jolene and Alinn to continue their own conversation.

"Can I just say first that I'm so sorry for your loss, I may not have known Lyonel long but in our travels he seemed like a good man, and it was very clear how much he meant to you. Thedas truly lost a good man with his death."

"Thank you Jolene, I I appreciate it, he thought well of you as well." He said. He remembered back when he and Duncan's other recruits were staying up late that first night of traveling together just talking. It had been lovely, sitting by a fire with your comrades. Natalia kept telling ridiculous stories that Alinn was at least seventy five percent sure she was making up while Lyonel countered with one hundred percent true stories of all the nonsense they'd get up to in the tower along with Jowan. It had been, nice. He wished their current travels had that same feeling, that closeness.

"Also I just wanted to say you're very brave, both of you were. That circle was your whole life and I'm sure leaving couldn't have been easy even with Lyonel at your side."

Alinn burst out laughing, when he saw the confusion on Jolene's face he felt bad and elaborated,

"Sorry Jolene, I swear I'm not mocking you it's just, leaving the circle was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. Bravery had nothing to do with it, no the bravest thing we ever did was fall in love."

"How do you mean?" Jolene asked.

"In the circle the Templars will use anything they can against you, if they see that someone matters to you _really_ matters to you they will use that to their advantage. That open demonstrative couple you met when we left the circle was the first time in three years that we could do that without fear of one of us being used as ammunition against the other. Even those names we called each other only worked because we thought of similar enough sounding names for everyone that on the surface it didn't seem out of the ordinary. Hell we called Jowan 'Ma assan' I don't even know if that's an actual word!"

"It means my bow, a term of endearment similar to emma lath." Linara chimed in.

"See, we had no idea what we were calling anyone. I'm not surprised you don't know a lot about the circle though especially since there are no dwarven mages."

"I had no idea the circles were such grim places." Jolene said.

"That's why it was so easy for us to walk away. And why I'm not looking forward to going back." Alinn said.

"Understandable, I'm not exactly looking forward to going back to Orzammar either." She admitted.

Further ahead Kallian and Natalia were carrying on their own conversation,

"Were there many girls like you in the alienage?" Natalia asked.

"Well, I'm not sure _girl_ is the best word to describe me but, hot headed angry elves with a knack for petty crime isn't exactly unusual in the alienage."

"What word would you use then?" Natalia asked.

"Elf, I'm not really a man or a woman, I'm just an elf." Kallian said.

"Alrighty then, tell me elf, what did you do before you were a warden?" Natalia asked.

"Stole, beat up shems occasionally stab a few rich fucks. The usual." She said.

"Sounds like we would've either gotten along real well or killed each other if we'd met before this." Natalia said.

"You were in the carta right? I've met a few of their surface contacts."

"Yeah, I've been up topside a few times before too but never for long. Always thought I was going to fall off or something." Natalia admitted.

"And now?" Kallian asked.

"Well if I start floating into the sky either tell Alinn to magic my ass back down or grab my leg or something, you're now officially in charge of making sure that sky of yours doesn't swallow me up."

"I think I can manage that." Kallian said with a smirk.

The group was almost at the bridge leading into the outskirts of the village. Alistair stood in front of the group facing them all.

"Before we go any further, there's something I should tell you all."

"You're an idiot?" Morrigan asked.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response. Anyway! I mentioned before that I'm a bastard, well my father was Maric, the late king."

"So you're not only a bastard, but a _royal_ bastard?" Alinn asked.

"Ha, I should use that one. But let's not make a big deal about it, I know I'm no prince that's been perfectly clear. But I just thought you should know before we see Arl Eamon, make things less awkward. I should've told you sooner and I'm sorry."

"Just how many royals we got in this bunch?" Natalia muttered to Kallian.

"Jolene, Mirah's a noble so she may as well be, and now Alistair." Kallian said, counting each noble on her fingers.

"Well now that that's over with let's get a move on." Linara said, not giving a rat's ass about which shems made Alistair. She was at the front of the group when a horrified young man ran toward the group at full speed.

"Are you here to help us?" The man asked.

"We're here about Arl Eamon…" Linara said, stepping back from the man.

"So, no ones heard about what's happening here?" The young man asked in horror.

"There's been a bit of a civil war going on in case you haven't noticed." Mirah said.

"What's been happening here?" Alinn asked, making his way towards the front of the group.

"Undead, hordes of them. You'll want to talk to Bann Teagan in the chantry."

"Bann Teagan, what's happened to Arl Eamon?" Alistair asked.

"He's gravely ill ser. I'll take you to Bann Teagan right away." He said before going back from whence he'd come.

The group crossed the cobblestone bridge and headed down the hill to the valley where Redcliffe was located. There was a small militia of men who'd clearly never held a bow before in their lives.

"They're going to get slaughtered." Linara said.

"I'm sure that's exactly what they want to hear." Jolene said.

"Oh please like any of them can hear us from here." Linara said.

"Let's go to the chantry, that's where that villager went." Kallian said.

The group walked around the militia's makeshift training ground towards the chantry. Mirah rubbed Alinn's forearm as they got closer to the chantry offering him whatever comfort she could.

When the group entered the chantry it was clear the building had been converted into a shelter for all of Redcliffe's remaining villagers. There was a well-dressed nobleman at the very back of the chantry, Mirah assumed this was Bann Teagan. The large group approached him with Alistair towards the front.

"We were told we should speak to you about the Arl." Mirah began.

"The Arl and the rest of his family haven't been heard from in weeks." Teagan said.

"What's happened?" Alistair asked.

"Alistair, is that you? I'd feared the worst when I heard what happened at Ostagar." Teagan explained.

"So wait, you know we're wardens and you _aren't_ going to try and kill us?" Linara asked, hand reaching for her bow just in case.

"Loghain calls the Grey Wardens traitors, murderers of the King. I don't believe it; it is the action of a desperate man." Teagan said.

"That's promising." Mirah said.

"Will you help us defend the village? I fear we won't last the night without help." Teagan asked.

"Of course, what can we do to help?" Jolene asked.

"Mayor Murdock and Ser Perth are in charge of the militia and knights respectively, they should be able to tell you more." Teagan said.

"We will defend this village and all the people within it you have my word." Alinn said.

"Let's go talk to Murdock." Kallian said as she led the wardens toward the training area where the militia seemed to be the most concentrated. Kallian saw an angry looking man with a long moustache, he seemed to be in charge so she went to him.

"Teagan says you're dealing with the undead? We grey wardens might be able to help." Kallian said.

"It takes all kinds." Murdock sneered.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Kallian demanded.

""We aren't going to turn aside anyone who wants to help, though. Don't take me for being an ingrate or nothing, the name's Murdock. I'm the mayor of this maker forsaken town. The undead have been attacking us for days now, I fear we won't last the night if we don't get help."

"It's a good thing we are here to help then." Natalia said.

"What do you need from us Mayor?" Kallian asked.

"That damned smith Owen could repair our armor but he's barred himself inside his forge." Murdock said.

"We could talk to him if you want." Linara said.

"If you could get him to help us that would be a big help." Murdock said.

Alinn and the others headed to the forge. Alinn knocked on the door.

"I ain't comin out you bastards." A man's voice responded.

"May I come in, I just wish to talk to you." Alinn asked.

"Why should I bother?" The man asked.

"Please I would rather not speak through a-" Mirah cut him off,

"Open this door before I bust it down!"

"Alright alright I'll open the door!" Owen said from inside the forge.

"Was that really necessary?" Alinn asked.

"What, he's letting us in isn't he?" Mirah said.

Alinn sighed. An older man opened the door and motioned for them to enter. The smell of alcohol overwhelmed them as they went inside,

"Maker's breath it smells like a brewery in here!" Leliana said as she convered her nose and mouth.

"Somebody's been drinkiiiing." Alistair said.

"Alright I let you in, huh didn't sound like an elf through the door. Whaddya want?" The man asked.

"Help the militia you useless drunk." Mirah said.

"Wow that was, blunt." Alinn said.

Mirah gave Alinn a look he sighed and said nothing else.

"Why should I? They've left my daughter to die."

"What do you mean, where is your daughter?" Alinn asked.

"She's lady Isolde's handmaiden. But no one's going into the castle to get her." Owen continued, "No one cares about my daughter Valena why should I care about any of them?"

"What if I rescued your daughter?" Alinn offered.

"I need more than that, I need a promise."

"I promise I will rescue your daughter." Alinn said.

"Then I suppose I have some armor to mend don't I?" Owen said as exited the forge and headed toward the militia.

"I suppose we should let Murdock know we got Owen's help." Mirah said.

The group walked out of the tiny forge. Murdock went over to them,

"I don't know how you did it but even falling over drunk the man's the best smith in this village."

"Do you need us to do anything else to prepare?" Kallian asked.

"There's a dwarven man Dwyn, he's a skilled fighter. If you could convince him to fight with us it would be a great help."

Natalia turned to Jolene,

"Want to 'encourage' our fellow surfacer to fight the good fight?"

"We're not surfacers." Jolene replied.

"While you two do that I say we should talk to that knight Ser Perth. See what he needs." Linara said.

"I'll go with Natalia and Jolene, in case this Dwyn fellow needs extra _encouragement._ " Kallian said.

"While we're at it if we're intimidating this dude let's bring Sten, he could make an archdemon shit itself."

"Fine." Sten said.

"Alright you guys, we'll meet back here once we're done." Linara said.

The wardens who had opted not to visit Dwyn headed up the hill to the windmill that sat just on the limits of the village. There were a decent amount of well armored knights and a Templar. Mirah stepped in between Alinn and the Templar, Alinn hadn't even spotted the man.

"Are you Ser Perth?" Alinn asked one of the knights.

"You must be the Grey wardens Murdock told us about, I must admit I'm not sure the proper way to address an elf of your rank." The man began.

"Call me what you'd call a human, the wardens don't discriminate." Alinn said, crossing his arms.

"Thank you warden, I apologize if I was uncouth."

"Regardless, do you need any help preparing for the battle tonight?" Alinn asked.

"We're fine as far as supplies go but, could you get the revered mother to grant us protection for the battle?" Ser Perth asked.

"We'll see what we can do." Linara said trying her very best to not roll her eyes.

"Thank you, maker be with you." Ser Perth said.

Alinn had to bite back a cynical sneer at that. He nodded curtly and the wardens were on their way back to the chantry to see about Holy protection for the knights. They saw a rather smug looking Natalia leading her group back to the meeting spot. A dwarven man and two men were now standing with the militia.

"Looks like you lot had a fruitful journey." Linara said.

"It helps when you have Sten here call them cowards." Kallian said.

"We get to go talk to the revered mother about the Maker protecting the knights!" Linara said with the most mock enthusiasm she could muster.

"That sure sounds _fun._ " Kallian said with a smirk.

Linara mimed vomiting as she walked with the rest of the group into the chantry. The revered mother was cloistered off to the side with several orphans.

"Revered mother, may we have a word?" Mirah asked having been dubbed the most likely to not accidentally or intentionally blaspheme in the revered mother's face.

"If this is about Ser Perth" She began.

"He wants you to give the knights holy protection." Mirah explained.

"What he wants I am not in the power to give, he wants me to personally assure the maker will keep them safe and no one has the power to do that."

"So I take it that's a no." Alinn said.

"You would be correct." The revered mother said.

"Thank you anyway." Mirah said.

"Maker be with you."

Linara and Alinn glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. The wardens didn't say much on their way to give Perth the news. Linara went up to the knight,

"Ser Perth your knights are just going to have to do without holy protection." Linara said.

"The revered mother refuses to help us then so be it." Ser Perth said.

"It seems we're ready to make our final stand." Jolene said.

"Will you wardens be fighting with us or the militia below?" Ser Perth asked.

"We'll fight here, the more undead we can keep from the militia the safer they will be." Alinn said.

"All that's left now is to wait for nightfall." Ser perth said.

As night began to fall Kallian was sitting on a wooden box making up part of the ramshackle defenses at the top of the hill. Natalia leaned on the box,

"Do you really need to make yourself taller, elf?" She asked.

"I'm not taller, besides I'm sure my tits look great from down there." Kallian said as she shot Natalia a wink.

"I'm not going to deny that your tits are great but it would be nice to be able to see your face when I talk to you." Natalia said glancing up at Kallian. Kallian shifted so she was laying on the box, face right by Natalia's,

"Better?" She asked.

Natalia looked away from Kallian in an attempt to hide her blushing,

"Better." She said.

"Kallian, shouldn't you prepare for the horde of undead that are going to appear any minute now instead of flirting with your fellow wardens?" Linara chastised.

"Yeah yeah I know." She said as she got off the wooden box. "Happy now?"

"Yes, very." Linara said a mischievous look on her face. Kallian knew her friend would no doubt tease her for this later.

"So, am I the only one who noticed our scary lady spending a lot more time with the littlest elf mage lately?" Natalia asked.

"No you're not the only one, I'm not sure what's going on with them though and since Alinn is flat out denying it it can't be that serious."

"Who said it was serious? I'm just trying to figure out which one of them is the better lay honestly." Natalia said offhandedly.

"You're so vulgar I love it." Kallian said.

Now it was Natalia's turn to wink at Kallian. Right as she was about to make another comment those hordes of undead they'd been told about decided to interrupt.

"Oh lovely." Natalia deadpanned. Zombie skeletons were certainly one of the more interesting things to interrupt her hitting on someone that was for sure. She took out the legs of one as it ran towards her. Linara was a champ with her bow. Kallian was spending as much time kicking the skeletons as she did stabbing them. From the back of the group Alinn was shooting icy bolts at the creatures. Morrigan was sending out paralyzing waves toward the creatures, allowing Redcliffe's knights to take them down with ease.

There was a brief pause between the first and second wave. Alinn sent up a large ice wall higher up on the hill,

"It'll take them some time to get through that." He said, leaning on his staff for support.

"Don't push yourself too hard, we'll need you when they break through." Mirah said. Kallian and Natalia gave each other knowing glances. The second wave came slowly, the skeletons were having a difficult time climbing over Alinn's ice wall.

"Good thinking lethallan." Linara said as she shot one down while it was still coming over the wall.

"It won't hold forever though." Jolene pointed out.

Sure enough some of the skeletons were beating the ice wall with their weapons. It was beginning to fracture and splinter. Just as the wall finally gave out a scout from the village ran up,

"There's creatures coming out the lake we're being overwhelmed!"

"You knights stay here, we've got to help the militia." Natalia said. She led the other wardens down the hill chasing after the scout. Sure enough the village militia was surrounded by the undead. The wardens stormed the creatures, cutting through them as if they were nothing. Linara was perched on a roof taking out the creatures from a distance. Leliana was a few feet away from her shooting any creature that got too close to Alinn or Morrigan.

"Creators protect them." Linara prayed under her breath.

Kallian and Natalia were back to back stabbing anything undead that moved. Mirah was bashing her shield into any skeleton that got too close to her, or Alinn it would seem. Alinn and Morrigan's magic seemed to flow around each other like an intricate dance of arcane energy. Linara thought it was beautiful, she couldn't understand how humans could see something so beautiful and declare those with the powers to do that too dangerous to be free. She wished every mage could live like Morrigan or the Dalish did, free to practice their magic as they pleased.

The battle was hard on the militia, even with the new armor they were ill prepared. Alinn and the other wardens tried to protect them as best they could but they were still dying all around them. Morrigan turned into a bear, Alinn was more than a little surprised as she began knocking down rows of skeletons at a time with her massive arms. Alinn cast a glyph of warding on a militia member who looked like he was getting overwhelmed. It would give him time to gain his bearings, no pun intended.

The battle was hard and the militia took heavy casualties but eventually the hordes ended and the morning came. The morning after the battle the fallen were honored along with the wardens who had helped the citizens prepare for the onslaught. After the ceremony Bann Teagan told the wardens to meet him outside of town. They weren't quite sure what he wanted to talk to them about but they met him outside the old windmill anyway.

"I'm afraid I need your help again." Bann Teagan began.

"More undead? Fantastic." Kallian said.

"There's a secret passage into the castle inside the windmill." Teagan continued.

"Well that's certainly convenient." Alinn said, slightly narrowing his eyes at Teagan.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but the village needed all the help it could get. I feared you would simply go to Eamon and abandon the village."

"Well someone seems to have an astounding level of faith in us." Natalia said.

Before Teagan could say anything more a woman came running down the hill,

"Teagan!" She called in a thick Orlesian accent.

"Isolde? You're alive!" Teagan exclaimed.

"Teagan you must come back to the castle there is an evil force at work." The woman said.

"You want him to go into that castle that no one has heard word from in weeks, alone? Sure sounds like a trap to me." Kallian said.

"What I, who is this woman Teagan?" Isolde asked, clearly scandalized.

"Elf." Kallian said under her breath.

"She's a grey warden, they all are. And they're here to help." Teagan said.

"And do you know what this Evil Force is Lady Isolde?" Alinn asked.

"A blood mage infiltrated the castle, it must be him!" She exclaimed.

"Please Teagan you have to come back with me, I was only allowed to leave to bring you back." She said. Teagan looked at the wardens.

"Take my signet ring, it's the key to the passageway. Eamon has to be your priority here, Isolde, myself everyone else we are expendable." He said as he placed the ring in Alinn's hand.

"I will find a way to save all of you." Alinn insisted.

"If you lot have to die then so be it." Mirah said at the same time.

"Maker be with you all." He said as he went with Lady Isolde.

The wardens opened the door to the windmill and discovered a trap door underneath a small pile of hay,

"Looks like we've got a castle to sneak into." Kallian said hoping this would end better than the last castle she 'visited'.

Alinn pressed the signet ring into the lock of the door and unlocked the door. They then began descending the stairs that would lead them to Redcliffe castle's catacombs.


	15. Redcliffe Castle

The wardens descended the rickety old stairs to the tunnels and dungeons below redcliffe castle. Natalia was toward the back and couldn't see anything in front of her,

"Sure hope we don't get ambushed because all I see is ass as far as the eye can see." Natalia muttered.

"I've yet to receive a complaint about my ass and I'll be damned if you're gonna be the first." Kallian said.

"Oh believe me your ass is fine it's just you know, _seeing_ an enemy before it attacks would be nice."

"What do you want me to put you on my shoulders or something?" Kallian asked, mostly joking.

"Nah, suddenly I'm not minding the view." Natalia said.

"By the creators you two are total perverts." Linara said.

"Yeah and?" Kallian said.

There was a scream coming from the other end of the hallway, paired with groaning that sounded very much like the undead.

"Someone's being attacked!" Jolene said running down the hall. The others quickly followed her down the hall where three undead were clawing at the bars of a cell. Alinn froze one of them that had its entire arm in the cell. He then kicked the frozen skeleton, causing it to snap apart at the leg. The skeleton raked its fingers down Alinn's face before he smashed it with his staff. He rubbed his split lip and cast a minor healing spell. He put his staff away and turned to see just who was in the cell.

"Alinn, is- is that really you?" A voice Alinn immediately recognized asked.

Alinn felt his jaw drop as he saw none other than Jowan in the redcliffe cell, robes covered in blood that Alinn really hoped was just from the undead.

"Jowan? Jowan is that really you? What the hell are you doing here?" Alinn asked, he'd set his friend free so he could live a life free of Templar control not so he could get his ass thrown into _another_ prison.

"Alinn, what are you doing here? Who are these people?" Jowan asked, taking a step closer to the bars.

"Lyonel and I became wardens after your little uh, _incident_ these are my fellow wardens. Well, most of them, Morrigan joined because she was told to, Leliana came because she wanted to and we kindof adopted sten." Alinn said.

"You know him?" Mirah asked.

"He was a friend of mine in the circle, the one I told you about." Alinn said.

"So he's the lying blood mage who's now summoning the dead? Fantastic." Mirah said.

"I'm not summoning the dead!" Jowan defended himself.

"Then why are you here, in a jail cell?" Alinn asked, feeling his blood pressure rise in a way that only nonsense with Jowan could ever hope to achieve.

"Lady Isolde hired me to tutor her son in secret." Jowan said.

"Why would she hire a mage to tutor her son?" Natalia asked.

"Connor had begun to show, signs and Isolde didn't want him to be taken to the circle." Jowan explained.

"Connor a mage? I never would've guessed." Alistair said.

"Can't say I blame her." Alinn said.

"But I swear I was just here to poison the Arl, I didn't do any of this undead summoning!" Jowan said.

"You did what." Alinn deadpanned.

"Loghain said that he'd make sure I wasn't sent back to the circle if I poisoned Arl Eamon. Loghain is a good man so I assumed he had good reason? I'm sorry but believe me I had nothing to do with the corpses."

Alinn ran a hand through his hair, attempting to steady his breathing,

"You really know how to test my ability to survive our friendship don't you old friend?"

"I messed up again I know, please help me make this right." Jowan begged.

Alinn looked over his shoulder at the other wardens,

"Are you kidding? He's a blood mage he needs to die." Mirah said.

"I think we should let Alinn decide what happens to him, he's your friend after all." Alistair said.

"I need a minute with him" Alinn looked over his shoulder, "in _private."_ He said as he opened the door to Jowan's cell and stepped inside, it was a bit tight but he what he had to say to Jowan was for his ears alone.

"Jowan." He said in a low voice.

"Alinn, I'm so sorry I lied to you I just needed to get out you understand right?" Jowan asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

Alinn grabbed Jowan's face, "Of course I understand, I would've helped you no matter what I just, I. I can't believe you're here. First I lose Lyonel and now this I just… I don't know Jowan I just don't know anymore." He pulled his friend into a hug, he felt so familiar like a relic of a world he was no longer a part of.

"Lyonel's dead?" Jowan's voice hitched.

"He died at Ostagar. Listen to me Jowan, those wardens out there, they don't know you. They'll accept whatever I decide to do with you, but I don't think they'll be too happy if I just let you go without making a show of it so just." Alinn paused, briefly checking to make sure the others were out of earshot.

"Remember that I'll always love you and I could never hurt you." Alinn kissed his friend. Alinn walked out of the cell, putting on a mask of anger, he threw the cell door open.

"I've decided what to do with you."

Jowan stepped out of the cell holding his hands close to his chest. Alinn glared at his friend and with all the venom he could muster said,

"Get out, I never want to see you again." He pointed to the tunnel they'd entered from.

Jowan looked confused for a second but then ran down the hall.

"You're just letting a blood mage go free?" Mirah asked. Suddenly questioning whether or not Alinn was a blood mage too or at least aware that both of his _rather close_ associates practiced the forbidden magic.

"The decision was left to me and now it's been made. End of discussion." He said voice still prickly. He walked further into the dungeon of the castle. Slightly ahead of him Linara saw a myriad of skeletons on the floor, she couldn't tell which ones were about to get up and attack so she nocked an arrow in preparation.

"May the dread wolf take you." She said as she released the arrow at a corpse that had started to move. Kallian and the others quickly joined the fight. Linara kicked a barrel at three shambling corpses knocking them all to the ground. Mirah completely shattered a skeleton with her shield. The battle ended rather quickly with most of the wardens none the worse for wear.

"There's stairs just over there, we need to deal with these beasts at their source." Linara said.

She led the group up the stairs to the main floor of the castle. The hall seemed empty for the moment. The wardens slowly filled the space just as undead decided to swarm them in an apparent attempt to overwhelm them. Morrigan scoffed at the undead as she sent out a paralytic wave. Alinn smashed his staff to the floor as a current of lightning came out the stone at the top of it. Kallian stabbed a paralyzed skeleton while she elbowed another one. Jolene used a leg sweep Bhelen taught her on one of the skeletons, grimacing as she buried her sword in its skull. The beasts were soon dead.

Alinn pulled open the door to the private chapel, there were three shades and several skeletons. He felt his entire body stiffen, he hadn't seen a demon since his harrowing and he really hadn't been planning on seeing any more in his lifetime. He shot a fireball right at one of the creatures as it started half hovering half swimming towards him. He evaded the shade's icy grip by rolling ad far from it as he could, it wasn't the most graceful thing he'd ever done but it bought him the few seconds for the other wardens to get into the fight. He saw a glimmer of fear in Mirah's eyes he'd never seen before. That scared him almost as much as the shade that was grabbing at Alinn's staff.

"Stay away from me!" He said, wrenching his staff out of the shade's grasp as he hexed it.

The shade grabbed the front of Alinn's robes, he grabbed the shade's hand and began to burn it. The shade let out a wail that could freeze blood. Kallian made her way over to the creature and stabbed it from behind, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.

"Thanks Kallian." Alinn said, regaining his breath.

"I'm not losing the only family I've got left." She said as she sheathed her swords.

The group exited the chapel. Kallian heard a noise that sounded like weeping coming from one of the closed doors. She approached the door, when she tried to open it the crying was more evident. Kallian got down on one knee and picked the lock, when she opened the door a crying girl was cowering in the room.

"Are you Valena?" Kallian asked.

"I, I am." The girl said, still visibly distressed.

"Your father sent us to get you out of here, he's waiting for you back in the village." Kallian explained.

"But those, those things." Valena said.

"We cut a path through them, I'm sure your dad is waiting for you." Kallian said, stepping out of the girl's way as she ran down the hallway.

The group made their way to what seemed like the main hall, only to find it locked.

"Looks like we're going to have to keep wandering, fantastic." Linara deadpanned.

"There's some stairs over there, let's see where they go." Natalia said.

"Lead the way." Kallian said.

Natalia led the wardens down the set of stairs. They ended up leading to the cellar.

"Huh, no corpses here." Natalia said.

"More stairs, let's see where they lead." Jolene said.

"After you princess." Natalia said.

"Call me that one more time and you'll have a sword in your stomach." Jolene said as she began ascending the stairs.

"I like it rough." Natalia said.

Jolene was no longer visible but her exasperated sigh could probably be heard all the way in Orlais. The stairs opened up to the courtyard of Redcliffe Castle. The wardens were greeted by several dozen skeletons and a revenant.

"What the shit is that?" Natalia asked.

"That's a revenant. Basically that's a demon in a skeleton." Alinn said, pulling his staff out.

"Oh, fantastic." Natalia said as she pointedly attacked a skeleton soldier instead.

Alinn was about to hex the revenant when he felt an energy pull himself, Morrigan and Kallian all the way across the courtyard until all three of them were collapsed at the revenant's feet. Kallian sprung to her feet and buried her blades in the revenant's side. It smacked her aside with its massive bronze shield. Alinn felt himself being choked by a strip of leather around his neck. He knocked his head back and made _hard_ contact with the skeleton that had tried to strangle him. He ducked out of the skeleton's grip and electrocuted it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Morrigan cast a series of hexes on the revenant while it swung its sword around wildly. Alinn cast a freezing spell on it, giving Morrigan an even bigger advantage against the beast. He saw the other wardens had their work cut out for them with the skeleton archers but he wasn't about to leave Morrigan alone with the massive undead beast.

"Don't just stand there you oaf!" Morrigan yelled at him.

Alinn snapped back to reality and attacked the reventant with all the force he could muster. He could feel the mana draining aura around him but he knew if this creature fell the others would be significantly weakened. He let a wave of electricity flow through him and straight to the revenant while Morrigan cast a weakening hex on the thing. The revenant swug its sword at Alinn, he barely managed to avoid being sliced clean in half. He felt a sting in his stomach from the blade.

"Oh that's not good." He muttered.

Linara joined the battle against the revenant, giving the mages some much needed aid. The revenant tried to pull her towards it just as it had done with Morrian and Alinn but Linara was pressed against a battlement above. If anything it just made her arrows hit it all the more forcefully. While the revenant was distracted. This gave Alinn and Morrigan their chance to combine their powers and take the creature down. It was incredibly draining but they were alive. After the revenant lay dead the mage collected himself, feeling the weight of the harmful aura slowly lifting off him.

"Whatever's causing this is in the main hall. I can feel it." He said. He noticed Natalia cradling Kallian's head in her lap,

"Is she okay?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"She hit her head bad when that thing knocked her back. But she's tough" her voice cracked slightly, "I'm sure she'll be okay."

Alinn knelt beside her and placed his hand on the back of Kallian's hand, he only knew minor healing spells but it would have to do for now. He felt exhausted once the spell was finally cast. Kallian let out a grunt,

"I must've beat it in my sleep. I sure am amazing." She said, sounding like she wasn't completely conscious yet.

"Maybe you should wait out here." Alinn said.

"No way, I gotta help you kill that evil thingy…" She tried to stand up and almost immediately fell over again.

"Woah there hot stuff, maybe you should just sit this one out? You can spar with me later to make up for it." Natalia said.

"That better be a promise Brosca." Kallian said as she sat up.

"It is." She said.

"Alright, let's go deal with this, thing." Alinn said as he got up, hoping Kallian would be safe by herself.

Linara pulled open the massive wrought iron doors to the castle. The wardens headed toward the main hall.

"There is something very dark at work here." Alinn said to himself.

When they made their way to the hall they found Lady Isolde, a young boy who was presumably Connor, and Bann Teagan who appeared to be, dancing? Along with several armed guards.

"Ah, you're the ones who ruined my fun!" The boy said, pointing at the wardens.

Alinn looked at Lady Isolde,

"You knew your son was possessed and didn't tell us?" He demanded.

"Mother what is that? I can't see it very well." Connor said, squinting at Alinn.

"That is an elf Connor, you've seen elves before we have them in the castle."

"Oh right! I shall enjoy ripping his ears off and feeding them to the dogs!" A deep voice said, still coming from Connor.

"Well, why have you come here?" The boy asked.

"We seek an audience with Arl Eamon." Mirah said, glaring at the boy.

"Ah, well wishers, father really shouldn't be disturbed." The boy said.

"You really expect us to take orders from a child?" Mirah asked.

"I'm not having fun anymore, I'm going to make you dance for me!" The child said, a black aura spreading from his hands.

The guards and Bann Teagan attacked the wardens. Alinn bashed Bann Teagan's head with his staff, hoping he'd only knocked the man out and not killed him. One of the guards who was armed with a crossbow shot Alinn right in the leg. Alinn collapsed, pain coursing through him. Linara leapt to her friend's defense as a guard was preparing to stab the immobilized mage,

"Halam sahlin!" She shouted as she filled the guard with arrows. _This ends now._

Mirah regretted having to kill the guards but they were the thralls of, was Connor a blood mage or an abomination? She was unsure but either way they needed to die. Once all the guards were taken care of the boy seemed to at least temporarily be back to himself,

"Mother? What happened, who are these people?" Connor asked.

"We're here to stop the undead and see your father." Alinn said as Linara helped him to stand up.

Connor saw the carnage in the hall and ran out of the room,

"Connor!" Isolde called after him, but the boy kept running.

Bann Teagan got up, rubbing the rather swollen bump forming on his head,

"That was, that was scary. I appreciate you coming when you did wardens. I knew I could trust you." Teagan said.

"This cannot be allowed to continue." Mirah said, sheathing her bloodstained blade.

"That blood mage, he may know what to do." Isolde said.

"If you're referring to Jowan that's no longer an option." Alinn said.

"What, why?" She demanded.

"He's gone." Alinn said.

"What do you mean gone?" Isolde asked.

"I mean he is gone, I can't really get much clearer." He said. "Now the matter at hand is your possessed son." Alinn went on.

"Please there must be something that can be done." Isolde pleaded.

"I really can't see this ending happily." Natalia said.

"You can't seriously be considering killing a child." Alinn said narrowing his eyes at her.

"He's an abomination!" Natalia protested.

"He's a _child_ , we're not killing him and that's final, there must be another way." Alinn said, he didn't want to fight over this but he would defend his fellow mages at any cost. Especially a child who'd been manipulated by a demon to save his father.

"The circle isn't that far from here, maybe we can get their help." Alistair said.

"Looks like we're going to the circle." Mirah said.

"Fantastic." Alinn said, pretending his voice hadn't just jumped an octave.

"Will you be able to keep Connor under control until we get back?" Jolene asked.

"We'll do what we can, please hurry." Teagan said.


	16. The Broken Circle

The circle was quite a ways away from Redcliffe despite what anyone said. The wardens were a day outside of Redcliffe, Mirah and Alinn were on watch. Well, Mirah was on watch Alinn had apparently drifted off and was now leaning on her shoulder fast asleep.

"Men are useless." Mirah muttered as she looked down at her elf. She pressed a kiss to his temple. Alinn jerked awake,

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"I woke you up, you can sleep when our shift is over." Mirah said.

"Really because it seemed like something _emotiony_ had just happened and if I remember right this is an emotionless arrangement." Alinn said.

"Oh don't worry you're still just a bony elf to me." She said ruffling his hair.

"Okay good." He said, smoothing his hair. "Hey wait a minute I'm not bony!" He protested.

Mirah took a hold of Alinn's arm, flopping it around slightly, "You are made of bones, magic, and a little bit of tattoo ink, sorry to burst your bubble Surana." She said.

Alinn took his arm out of Mirah's grip,

"Are you trying to insinuate I'm weak?" He asked in a joking tone.

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said.

Alinn smiled at her for perhaps a second longer than he should've before staring forward once more. He had visibly stiffened,

"Are you alright Alinn?" Mirah asked.

Alinn bit his lip, suddenly feeling the true weight of going back to the circle.

"I'm not, feeling well." Alinn said, ever careful of his word choice.

"Are you alright, do we need to bring you to a healer?" Mirah asked, concern evident in her voice.

"It's not something a healer can fix." He remembered back when Lyonel had tried to cast various healing spells on him to no avail.

"Is the taint reacting badly to your magic?" Mirah asked, remembering how other than Alinn and Lyonel there had been almost no mage wardens to speak of.

"No, this has nothing to do with the taint!" He snapped, he felt bad for getting frustrated at Mirah but really, why couldn't she just let it drop?

Mirah pulled her hands away from the mage, fearing he was about to set something on fire or the like.

"Then what is it?" She asked, hardened tone, she needed to know if this was going to pose a problem in their quest to end the blight.

Alinn jumped up from the log they'd been sitting on, "It's none of your business that's what! Why does everyone feel entitled to every little fact about my life? _Oh Alinn what's it like to lose your partner I bet that hurts does it feel like you're on fire inside? Hey Alinn I know you were abused and brutalized in the circle but ha ha we're going back and you have no choice in the matter but no problem right?_ But then again when have I ever had the right to have anything about me be private? My entire life has been a display for others and I'm fucking tired of it!" His balled fists were beginning to flame. "I'm tired of everyone acting as if they have some right to know every. Little. Thing. About me. Every fucking question is like a fucking needle stabbing me over and over again. My illnesses, my trauma, my _life_ is not yours to know nor will it ever be so just drop it!" He yelled. Bitter tears fell from his eyes. The fire in his fists wilted and dissipated after his outburst. He immediately looked remorseful. He pulled his hands close to his chest. He looked down, unable to meet Mirah's eyes.

"I'm sorry, that. That was unfair. You just received about a decade's worth of fermenting emotions I'm sorry it won't happen again." He wiped his eyes, finally daring to look at Mirah. She looked taken aback at the normally level headed mage's outburst.

"Alinn, at the risk of incurring more of your wrath I have to ask. Are you going to be okay?"

Alinn let out an exasperated sigh, "No, of course I'm not going to be okay! Even my standard of what 'okay' is is twisted beyond belief by the damn circle. I'm going back to that hellhole and I'm not entirely convinced they won't try and force me back since in their eyes I'm an apostate! And I've let a blood mage escape them twice now. They, they could kill me, or worse for what I've done and I would be defenseless to do anything about it." He knew he was trembling but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He felt Mirah wrap her arms around him.

"If they want you they're going to have to get through me."

Alinn tentatively wrapped his arms around Mirah in a moment of weakness he likely wouldn't repeat. It felt strange being friends with someone who was neither an elf nor a mage but regardless he was glad he had her.

"You can't bottle thing up like that Alinn, it's not healthy. Promise me you won't let it get that bad again. You need to talk to someone about these things, I don't care if it's me or Kallian or whoever you just can't let that fester inside you like that."

"I promise." He said.

The next morning the group were making their way towards the circle of magi. Alinn was walking with Morrigan,

"So that shapeshifting thing you do. I've never seen any magic like that." He began.

"I would imagine you haven't in your circle, tis an ancient magic, thankfully there are those of us who still practice it. Those of us who refuse to bow down to the chantry jailers."

"We need to preserve those traditions. And the circles need to be dissolved." Alinn said.

"Strange opinion considering where you came from, though I imagine you felt much like a caged bird in that circle did you not?"

"Understatement of the age." Alinn said.

"So, you don't feel I should be burned alive for my abilities?" Morrigan asked.

"I was actually wondering if you'd be willing to teach me to do that." Alinn said.

"Certainly, once we've stopped travelling for the evening find me and we'll see if you're capable of it." Morrigan said.

Further back Linara was having the time of her life annoying the shit out of Kallian,

"So, you and Natalia seem to be rather close lately."

"Yes I made a friend is that so surprising?" Kallian asked, already knowing Linara's response.  
"A friend who very regularly compliments your tits and your ass." Linara pointed out.

"Can you blame her? I'm very attractive." Kallian said.

Linara rolled her eyes, "If you two are an item you can just say so."

"We're not, er well we're not exactly a- don't give me that look Linara!" Kallian said blushing terribly.

Linara chuckled as she patted Kallian on the head.

"I hate you." Kallian said.

"What are friends for?" Linara said.

Jolene was at the front of the group with Leliana and Natalia when she and Natalia shared a knowing glance. They could feel the taint in their blood like a slow burning fire. The song humming quietly in the back of their minds, slowly growing louder. There were darkspawn nearby. They drew their weapons, the other wardens behind them did the same. This time luckily it was only a few stragglers and not an entire squad or legion of the beasts.

"Well that wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be." Natalia said once the battle was over.

"Would you rather we'd encountered a hundred darkspawn?" Jolene asked, incredulous at Natalia's desire for _more_ darkspawn.

"Hey I'm not ungrateful that we haven't been ass deep in darkspawn since Ostagar I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt if we killed a few more darkspawn in these straggling bits _before_ they become a giant ass army."

"Regardless we should keep moving, every delay we take is another moment that _child_ could be wreaking havoc in that village." Jolene said. Soon the circle was visible on the horizon, within the hour they would be on the shore of Lake Calenhad.

"We'll be there soon." Jolene called back to the others.

Alinn felt faint as he saw the Circle tower sticking out of the middle of Lake Calenhad. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder,

"You going to be alright?" Mirah whispered in his ear.

"Probably not." He admitted.

"How can I make this easier?" She asked.

"Don't let them destroy me." Was all he said as he stared at the tower.

Those words struck Mirah to the core, how horrible must his experiences have been for him to ask her not to let them _destroy_ him, not "don't let them hurt me" or "don't let them take me back" but "don't let them destroy me". In the short time she and Alinn had been together she had never wanted to protect him more than in that moment. She wanted to envelop him in her arms and keep him as far from the chantry and it's Templars as possible. But instead she would stand at his side as they entered the last place he ever wanted to return to.

Alinn began walking down the hill towards the docks. He looked around for Kester the ferryman. He spotted him near the inn.

"That's who we'll want to talk to." He said. He lead the group over to where the old man was leaning on a wooden structure.

"Kester, why aren't you over by the docks?" Alinn asked.

"You're one of those wardens, I remember takin you and that other fellow across with Duncan and his recruits… The Templars said no one's allowed in the tower. Took my boat and everything!" the old man said.

"Fantastic." Natalia deadpanned.

"Maybe we should talk to that man on the docks, perhaps he can get us across?" Jolene pointed to a man in Templar armor. Alinn felt his blood run cold at the sight of him but he pushed that feeling down. He was going to face his fears once and for all, it was one Templar, he could do this. He was at the front of the group as they approached the small dock,

"Halt. I'm to let no one into the tower." The Templar said.

"And, who are you exactly?" Alinn didn't recognize this Templar, but then again there were many Templars in the tower.

"I am the person appointed to stop all unauthorized access to the Circle Tower. Meaning you. Because you're unauthorized." He said.

"Oh how charming." Alinn said, "Would it change your mind if I said I was not only a grey warden but a _mage_ as well?"

"A grey warden huh? Prove it then! Kill some darkspawn!" The man said waving his arms uncomfortably close to Alinn's face.

"I have these treaties if you don't believe me." Alinn said, his patience wearing thin with this jackass of a Templar.

"Oh, a Grey Warden treaty! So you're supposed to be one of those. Well, I've got some papers too! They say I'm the Queen of Antiva! What do you have to say to that?" Carroll mocked.

Linara felt a fury rise in her as she went to the front of the group, arrow nocked and aimed right at the Templar,

" _I_ say we've had enough of your blatant disrespect and you're going to take us across before I lodge an arrow in your neck, we clear?"

"Clear… Although I don't think the boat will fit all of you." Carroll said.

Linara lowered her bow and looked at the others behind her, some of them seemed shocked by her outburst while Kallian seemed very pleased with her friend.

"We don't all need to go anyway." She pointed out.

"This is a warden matter so I'd say Sten, Leliana and Morrigan should stay behind." Natalia said.

"Something tells me Morrigan wouldn't really enjoy the circle anyway." Alinn said looking at Morrigan as he spoke.

"Something tells me you are correct." Morrigan said.

"Maybe Alistair should stay behind too? A warden with them in case darkspawn show up while we're in the tower?" Jolene suggested.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Alistair asked.

"Alistair do you mind staying behind and protecting our friends from darkspawn while we go to the mage tower and ask the mages very nicely to help us with Connor?" Alinn asked with equal parts sweetness and sarcasm.

"Alright but only because you gave me those sad mabari eyes." Alistair said.

"Thank you Alistair." Alinn said.

"Take us across, and do it quickly." Linara said to the Templar before she and the other wardens got into the boat, which even with the reduced number of wardens was quite cramped. Alinn could scarcely bear to look at the ever looming tower growing closer with each oar stroke. Linara touched his arm and muttered something to him in elvish, he didn't know what it meant but it sounded reassuring nonetheless. The boat came to a halt,

"We're here." Kallian said, becoming aware of the sheer magnitude of the circle for the first time. The foreboding structure left a sour taste in her mouth as she thought of Alinn being dragged here as a child. The wardens spilled out of the small boat and approached the entrance to the tower.

The large wooden doors to the tower stood in front of Alinn, just as they had what seemed like an eternity ago when he was first recruited. His hands hovered in front of the handles of the doors, he couldn't bring himself to touch them.

"I got this." Natalia said, it was a bit of a stretch for her but she got the doors opened anyway.

Alinn was overwhelmed the second he stepped across the threshold. His senses were bombarded with the sharp smell of blood and various Templars shouting all sorts of things. He could practically taste the panic in the air. He saw the Knight Commander at the center of the room, directing Templars about. Alinn went over to him.

"Greagoir, long time no see." Alinn hoped his dry tone would hide the panic just behind his words.

"Surana, it's good to see you survived Ostagar."

"We both know that's not true." Alinn said, knowing the knight commander had probably cheered when he found out the news, thinking himself rid of his three least favorite apprentices all in one go.

"Be that as it may I really don't have the time for pleasantries, why are you here?" He asked.

"We need the mages to help us against the blight and a possessed boy."

"I am weary of the Grey Wardens' ceaseless need for men to fight the darkspawn, but it is their right, however that will not be possible at present." Greagoir began.

"Why is that?" Alinn asked.

"Let me speak plainly, the tower is no longer under our control." Greagoir said.

"What do you mean the tower isn't under your control? What's going on here?" Alinn demanded.

"The tower is overrun by demons, abominations and blood mages. Don't think I've forgotten your part in Jowan's escape." Greagoir glared at Alinn as he spoke.

"I'm glad I could help my friend escape you and your order of _sadists._ And if the tower is so bad why are you lot hiding out here like cowards while innocent mages are _dying?_ " Alinn yelled.

"We have to wait for reinforcements and the rite of annulment from Denerim. I won't risk more of my men in a hopeless cause, I have no doubt that the mages are dead."

Alinn dropped his staff when he heard the _rite of annulment_ he knew if he was going to save his fellow mages he would have to think quickly,

"Surely they can't all be dead, let me in and I'll deal with the demons." He pleaded.

"Your faith in mages is admirable but we've already lost too many to the beasts, the rite is the only way." Greagoir said.

"I hate to say it, but he may be right." Mirah said.

Alinn picked his staff up, feeling fury burn beneath his skin,

"Are you seriously supporting this? You don't understand what the rite is, it's not just "kill all the blood mages" or "kill everyone who attacks you first" it is a death sentence. It means we kill every mage in that tower, from five year olds torn from their families a week ago to aging elders who can barely see anymore. If you are going to endorse that well…" Alinn stood in front of Mirah, head turned up to look right into her eyes,

"Then the first mage you cut down will be me." He said holding his staff parallel to the ground.

The Templars around him drew their blades, Mirah raised her hand locking eyes with every Templar,

"This is a warden matter, put your blades away." She ordered. She turned her attention back to the elf, who had not backed down,

"If you feel so strongly about this-" she started.

"I will not let you massacre my people." He said.

"Then we have some mages to save, don't we?" She finally conceded.

"Good, no time to waste." He said as he went towards the doors to the inner part of the tower,

"I'll only believe the tower is secure if I hear it from Irving." Greagoir said.

Alinn took a mental note of that, "Then you wait here while we get Irving." He said, he then turned his attention to the Templars in front of him,

"Out of my way you glorified jailers." He said as he headed toward the doors.

"We won't let you out until you either bring the first enchanter or we receive approval for the rite." One of the Templars said. Alinn didn't deign him worth responding to as he went into the inner sanctum of the tower the others quickly followed suit. The doors were sealed behind them, Alinn felt a chill run up his spine as he realized he was once again trapped in this hell.

Kallian and Linara were at Alinn's side immediately, Kallian had been prepared to slit Mirah's throat if she'd actually tried to hurt Alinn and she'd do the same to anyone else who dared hurt her brother. She glared at Mirah as the group of them walked past the apprentice's quarters.

"This place is heavy with death." Alinn said, sensing a disturbance in the fade, probably from too many blood mages. When the wardens came to the open area between the library and the apprentices quarters they saw a group of about five adult mages and several young children. The adults were battling a rage demon while the children cowered. Alinn cast a frost spell on the fiery spirit. With a final spell from one of the circle mages it was gone. An elderly mage woman turned around to face the group of wardens, Alinn recognized her immediately,

"Wynne? You survived Ostagar?" Alinn asked.

"You, how did so many of you survive?" Wynne asked in disbelief.

"By running like hell." Natalia said.

"We have to get to Irving before the Right of Annulment arrives from Denerim. We have no time to lose." Alinn said.

"I feared Greagoir may have sent for it." Wynne admitted.

"We need to get to the rest of the tower, if you could bring down that barrier please?" Kallian asked.

"If you are truly here to help us then I will go with you." Wynne said.

"Wynne you took a bad hit in that last fight, are you sure you'll be alright?" A mage woman asked.

"I'll be fine Killi I am not made of glass. You and Kinnon keep the children safe until I return." She said.

"We could use all the help we can get Wynne." Alinn said.

Wynne nodded as she led the wardens to the barrier she'd set up,

"It's impressive." Linara said.

"I did what I needed to, are we all ready to face what lies beyond this barrier?" Wynne asked the group.

"It'll take more than blood mages to take me down." Mirah said.

"Alright." Wynne said before taking down the barrier.

Alinn walked beside Wynne, trying his best to figure out just what happened while he'd been gone.

"The circle allied itself with Loghain in exchange for more freedom, I told Irving of Loghain's treachery and… This happened." She explained just what Uldred had told the other mages and Alinn felt a twist in his gut. If he hadn't been a warden, there was no doubt in his mind that even if he knew of what Loghain had done he still would side with him if it meant more rights for mages. That knowledge made Alinn feel ill.

"Do you know if healer Dianna is still alive?" Alinn asked, knowing Lyonel's mentor would want to know her apprentice died a hero.

"I don't know, I'm sorry." Wynne said.

Alinn sighed, he wasn't surprised but it still would've been nice to tell _someone_ that Lyonel cared about that he was a hero. He saw Kallian out of the corner of his eye, remembering how she'd told him how Lyonel had saved her life on the battlefield when Deadrick's death had immobilized her. He remembered how Lyonel had always said he wanted to make a difference, to _matter._ Without Lyonel Kallian would be dead, as far as Alinn was concerned that was a huge difference and it sure as hell mattered.

He couldn't remain in his own thoughts for too long however as the second the party entered the library they were attacked by a pack of abominations. Alinn had never seen an abomination before in his life, it chilled him to the bone seeing these quaking piles of drooling flesh knowing that somewhere underneath all that was a desperate mage. He cast a fire spell on one that came barreling towards him and Wynne. He felt his pulse racing as a dead abomination exploded into flames near him.

He felt the flames burning his exposed arm _curse these feathery robes_ he thought to himself as he began to chill his own arm to avoid being critically burned. These abominations apparently all burst into flames when they die. Alinn and the others were jumping back from every abomination as it fell to avoid the flames. The bottom of Alinn's robes were singed, he noticed a scorch mark on Mirah's warden shield.

"Is it normal for those things to just, go up in flames when they die?" Jolene asked.

"I've never seen an abomination before, but let's go with yes." Alinn said.

Alinn felt the burn on his arm healing, it was proper healing magic this time, something he hadn't felt since Lyonel died. He looked over his shoulder and saw Wynne casting a group healing spell.

"You're a healer?" He asked.

"I'm a spirit healer yes." Wynne said.

"That'll certainly be useful." Mirah said, mentally noting that Alinn while a skilled mage didn't know jack shit about healing meanwhile Wynne did. They fought the remaining abominations until they finally made their way to the stairs leading to the second floor of the tower,

"How many floors has this place got?" Natalia asked.

"Four plus the harrowing chamber." Alinn said.

"Oh, fantastic." Natalia said.

On the second floor they encountered reanimated skeletons, Alinn felt like he was going to be sick as he realized he recognized who many of these corpses used to be. He couldn't even look at them dead on as he fought them. A mage corpse that had once been a healer wrapped its skeletal hand around Alinn's throat. Kallian body slammed the creature and buried her daggers in it. She panted as she got off of it,

"No one hurts my family." She whispered.

They went further into the tower and were promptly attacked by blood mages. Alinn recognized all three of them, he'd talked to them before. He felt sick as he heard one of them get stabbed,

"You're not the first maleficar to die at my hand nor will you be the last." A husky voice Alinn knew all too well said. Alinn's entire body seized up when he heard Mirah say that,

"We haven't encountered any other blood mages." He said.

He saw the realization in Mirah's eyes. "I can explain!"

"You better start." He said, before the conversation could go any further the last blood mage, a girl Alinn knew was begging for her life,

"Please don't kill me!"

"Wait." Alinn said, walking over to Linara who had an arrow aimed right at the girl.

"Those people you killed didn't want to die either." Alinn said.

"But, you know what it was like, the Templars always watching you, all the- things they let happen. Change never comes peacefully, Andraste started a war to end slavery and we thought."

"You thought you could save yourselves, even if it meant doing something truly desperate." Alinn said, understanding their reasoning all too well.

"Yes! Exactly, please Alinn I know I've no right to ask but, please don't kill me."

"Analia, get up I'm not going to kill you for doing exactly what I would've done." Alinn said.

Analia got up off the ground,

"Thank you Alinn, maker bless you for your mercy. I will never forget this!" She said.

Alinn smiled slightly as she went down the stairs toward at least temporary safety.

"You let _another_ blood mage go?" Mirah asked in disbelief.

"That brings us back to my original question, when the hell did you kill a blood mage?" Alinn demanded.

"It's not important right now." She said.

"Oh yes it is or you would've just said it by now." Alinn said patience wearing thin.

"Just drop it Alinn we have more important things to do right now."

"Spit it out already Cousland!" He yelled at her.

"I killed Lyonel okay? That's the big fucking secret! I stabbed Lyonel on the battlefield and ripped that amulet" she pointed at the amulet around Alinn's neck "off his neck while he was dying! You happy now?" She screamed back at him.

"Lyonel. Wasn't. A. Blood. Mage." Alinn said trying his damnedest not to actually kill Mirah where she stood.

"Yes he was, I saw him summon demons on the battlefield!" Mirah protested.

"He was a healer, if he resorted to blood magic it was a desperate attempt to survive a hopeless battle!" Alinn retorted.

"Alinn you have to believe me," She reached out to him, he jerked away from her.

"If you _ever_ try to touch me again I'll kill you where you stand." Alinn said before turning around and walking further into the second floor of the tower. Kallian was immediately at Alinn's side, occasionally checking over her shoulder to make sure Mirah kept her distance.

The cluster encountered a few more abominations and blood mages. Alinn said nothing as they moved throughout the tower. Kallian put her hand on his wrist causing him to look at her. She said nothing but the concern was clear on her face. He looked away and said nothing as he threw open the door to the third floor of the tower.

The band of wardens and Wynne continued further into the third floor of the tower where they were confronted by a desire demon and roughly a dozen Templars under her command.

"Intruders! Attack!" The demon commanded as she moved her arms about. The Templars were all yelling various battle cries. Alinn felt no mercy for them as he cut them down. He did however focus on the desire demon, she was likely enhancing the Templars' abilities. He attacked the demon at the same time as Mirah did. When the demon fell her hold on the Templars dissipated. Alinn felt the mana drain one of them was still using, he looked around to see which of the remaining Templars it was. He froze as he locked eyes with none other than Bennet. Alinn felt a surge of fury course through his body.

The tiny mage jumped onto the Templar, who was now free of the demon's control. Alinn sat on the Templar when he fell to the floor, pinning him in place. He was practically snarling at the man. Mirah knew exactly who that Templar was, she motioned for the others to stay back. Alinn no doubt wanted to do this himself. Alinn punched the Templar in the eye,

"Someone get this mage off me!" He yelled as Alinn hit him again. Alinn's was relentless, how many times had he imagined himself doing this? How many nights had he come back to the apprentice's quarters with lies to cover up the real source of his black eyes and bruised body? How many times had he prayed for someone to get rid of Bennet? He learned a long time ago that the only thing answering his prayers was himself. If he wanted Bennet dead he was going to have to make it happen himself.

He wrapped his hands around Bennet's neck, crushing him with all his might,

"I don't need magic to kill you. I can kill you with my bare hands." Tears streamed down his face as he repeated the mantra Bennet had used on him for years.

"Look at me you bastard!" He shouted as he bashed Bennet's head into the stone floor.

"I want to see the fear in your eyes when I kill you you _monster_. I want you to finally know at least for a moment what it's like to be completely helpless in the hands of someone with complete and total power over you." He tightened his grip on Bennet's throat. He overheard Kallian call out to him but didn't hear what she'd said. He felt an intense pain in his side and Bennet pushed him to the floor. He saw blood running down his body and a dagger sticking out of his side. He grimaced as he pushed himself off the floor. He was running on pure hate, he was going to kill Bennet even if he killed himself in the process.

Bennet went toward the group of wardens,

"Keep that knife-eared abomination away from me! She's clearly out of her maker cursed mind!"

Kallian kicked Bennet in the crotch,

"The only abomination here is you. And he's here to get rid of abominations." Kallian said.

Alinn limped over to the others, Kallian was digging her boot into Bennet's arm.

"He's all yours Alinn." She said.

Alinn was on the floor, flame in his palms as he pressed his hands onto Bennet's face. There was a weighted silence from the group as the smell of burning flesh and petrified screams filled the room.

"This is for every mage you ever hurt." Alinn said as he pulled Bennet's head as far off the ground as he could before he brought it crashing into the stone one final time, the sickening crunch affirming that it was finally over. Kallian helped Alinn to his feet. Mirah went to help but the fury in Kallian's eyes told her that was a bad idea. He winced as the dagger was removed from his side. He felt unsteady on his feet but he was unsure if it was from blood loss or from knowing that he'd finally killed Bennet and he would never hurt another mage as he'd hurt Alinn.

Mirah felt her heart race as Alinn's blood began to pool on the ground,

"Wynne, Alinn needs healing!" Kallian said. He wasn't even standing at this point, Kallian tightened her grip on him. Wynne came over to Kallian and Alinn and held her hands just above Alinn's wound. Her hands glowed a blueish white and soon his wound was healing, it wasn't completely healed but it was no longer debilitating. Mirah reached out to touch Alinn,

"Don't you dare shem." Alinn grimaced as he pushed Mirah away from him leaning on Kallian for support. The words stung Mirah like acid, not that she didn't deserve them.

"We need to keep moving." Wynne said.

"Of course." Alinn said as he walked away from the corpse filled room.

They encountered two more rooms of abominations before they reached the stairs to the fourth floor. Sparks of electricity crackled all around Alinn, his emotions once again on display through his magic. He only allowed Linara and Kallian to even get within three feet of him without shocking them. Needless to say the rest were keeping a reasonable distance between themselves and the mage, Mirah was at the very back of the group. They moved through the floor, encountering a blood mage and her Templar thralls. Alinn went for the Templars, practically ignoring the blood mage in control of them. Kallian was the one to cut down the mage. The Templars were still fighting them and they went down quickly enough. Mirah tried not to wince when she saw Alinn spit on one.

Alinn was on the verge of a breakdown, he was trapped in this tower, who knows if Irving was even still alive and now once again someone he trusted had lied to his face, he couldn't believe he'd ever thought he could care about her. He wanted to scream or set Mirah on fire, but he had to focus on his fellow mages. That was a wrong he could right. He opened the doors to the main room of the fourth floor.

A large abomination stood in the room, Alinn saw a mage collapse beside it. The creature lethargically stretched its arm toward the group,

"Ah, you all must be very tired from your journey here."

"Shut…up." Alinn said, suddenly requiring significantly more effort to speak.

"Why don't you rest a while? It will make you very happy I promise." The abomination said.

"Don't listen to it! You have to resist it." Wynne said.

Natalia felt her eyelids grow heavy, no matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes open she collapsed in exhaustion.


	17. Faded Realities

Natalia groaned as she awoke, all her recent memories were hazy. As she looked around she realized she was in her house in Dust town. She had a wicked headache and realized if she didn't get her ass out of bed soon Beraht would have her head on a spike. She pushed herself out of her bed and walked out of her room. Rica and her Mother were in the main living space,

"Nat, it's good to see you up did you sleep well?" Rica asked.

"Yeah I just, have a wicked headache…"Natalia said, still feeling as if everything around her were slightly hazy.

"Here, have some hot water." Her mother offered.

That took Natalia by surprise, her mother normally would've said something along the lines of _we all have problems_ before getting another bottle of moss wine out.

"Ma, are you feeling alright? You're acting a bit different from usual…" Natalia said, swaying a bit on her feet.

"Whoa there sis, why don't you sit down for a bit?" Rica asked as she sat Natalia in a chair.

"I stopped drinking, don't you remember?" Her mother asked.

Natalia felt like something was off, her mother had never been able to stay sober for more than a few days, what changed?

"I should get going, Beraht won't like it if I'm late." Natalia began to get out of her chair.

"Beraht's dead sweetheart, you're in charge of the carta. Dwarves report to _you_ now, and I'm so proud of you." Her mother said as she motioned for Natalia to sit back down in her chair. That's when it clicked, her mother would never _ever_ be proud of anything her 'worthless brat' did.

"I have no idea who you are but you sure as hell aren't my mother." Natalia said, jumping out of her chair.

"Foolish girl! I give you everything you've ever wanted and you throw it back in my face like a spoiled brat!" Her mother shouted, now _that_ she'd believe.

"Whatever you are I want nothing you can offer me." Natalia said, pulling out her blades.

Her mother and Rica attacked her, she had no choice but to kill them. Her mother fell first, the look in Rica's eyes when she stabbed her. Natalia just shook her head, this isn't real _this isn't really her._ She tried desperately to convince herself. She fell to her knees, all her life she'd fought to protect Rica and now, now she was standing over her sister's body.

"This can't be real." She said again. When she looked up she was no longer in Dust town, or anywhere she recognized for that matter. It was this strange greenish-black place with floating islands all throughout,

"What the fuck." She whispered softly. When she looked down there were no bodies at her feet, just piles of ash.

"Where the hell am I?" She asked no one. The only thing in her chunk of the fade seemed to be this strange pedestal with some glowing glyph surrounding it,

"By the stone where's Surana when you need him?" She asked herself as she walked over to the thing. There were runes all along the top of the pedestal, which was roughly at eye level with her.

"What do I do with you?" She asked. She put her hands on top of the pedestal. She was surrounded by a bright white light. She couldn't take her hands off the pedestal,

"Oh shit, shit I fucked up SHIT!" She yelled as she felt herself and the pedestal transported somewhere else entirely. When the pedestal from hell landed and the light faded Natalia couldn't stop shaking,

"What the fuck, what the fuck. I don't understand what the hell is happening holy shit where is everyone I can't do this alone." She muttered as she looked at her shaking hands.

"You managed to break out of your dream. Impressive." A voice said.

Natalia leapt, "Who the fuck just said that?" She asked.

"My name is Niall, I was a mage at the circle, who are you?" He asked. Natalia saw the mage, hadn't he been in the tower before they all went down? Wait, wasn't he supposed to have something important? Litmus of Andraste or something?

"I'm Natalia, a grey warden. Where are we?" She asked.

"We're in the sloth's domain, the fade." Niall began.

"Oh fuck no, that can't be right."

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Never mind, how do I get out of here?" Natalia asked, trying to slow her hurried heart.

Niall let out a laugh, "You think I haven't tried? There's no way out. If you could shrink to a mouse or something you could maybe but," he let out a sigh, "it's impossible." He said.

"That pedestal, can it take me to my friends?" She asked, trying as hard as she could to suppress the ever growing need to scream in terror.

"It'll take you to other parts of the fade, your friends will be trapped in nightmares just like you were." Niall said.

"Thanks uh, I'll be back maybe." She said. She headed back towards the pedestal when she saw a purple portal like thing.

"I'm going to regret that." She said as she walked up to it. It towered over her, probably designed with demons about human size in mind. The swirling purple and black in it made it a foreboding structure.

"What have I got to lose?" Natalia said in a pained laugh as she stepped through it. When she came out the other side the portal was now just a circle of sticks,

"Fuck" she said as her voice jumped an octave.

She saw a rage demon approaching her, "Oh Fuck!" She yelled as she pulled her blades out to defend herself, it was surprisingly easy to take the thing down. Once it was dead she saw a mouse.

"Take my power, slay the demon that rules here, make my-" the mouse dropped dead before it could finish speaking. A sparkling trail of magic flowed into Natalia from the mouse's body. She felt something course through her and suddenly she was even smaller than before. She looked around and realized she'd turned into a mouse. Natalia decided this was as good a moment as any to have a breakdown. She let out a cacophonous scream, if it were possible for a mouse to cry she no doubt was.

"What's happening to me?" She wept.

She was shaking like a leaf, she was going to die in this place and she wasn't even going to be in her proper form when she did! She looked around to see if anything could change her back, she saw a small mouse hole. She took a deep breath before deciding to go exploring in the fade underground rat city she had no doubts she was about to discover. She crawled through the hole and eventually came out in a wildly different part of the fade. She focused hard on her form as a dwarf, praying to the stone that maybe, just maybe it would change her back? It worked, slowly but it worked nonetheless. There was only one path for her to walk it seemed. She walked through this path and saw two rage demons standing in front of the new portal.

"Lovely, I get to fight more of you." She said. The demons came towards her, she certainly wasn't used to fighting fiery balls of demon with nothing but her daggers but she managed. Her fingers were badly singed but she was alive. She went through the portal and found herself back where she'd started, near the mage Niall. She was glad she was somewhere recognizable at least.

"You did something, you changed." He said.

"I turned into a fucking mouse." She said.

"Were you able to get through those little holes?" He asked.

Under normal circumstances Natalia would've made a dirty joke but instead she went with a more direct response, "Yeah, that's how I got back here."

"That pedestal activated, you might actually be able to kill the demons here." Niall said.

"Let's hope I do." Natalia said as she headed over to the pedestal. A column of white light once again took her off to another section of the fade.

She was now in a different realm of the fade, it looked similar to the outskirts of Lothering but more, serene. There was a small house in front of her, it smelled like elfroot and various other herbs that Alinn had no doubt told her the name of but she hadn't paid any attention at the time. She opened the door to find a bustling clinic inside. She heard a familiar voice call out, "Ma halla can you get me another poultice? She's going to need it."

Natalia blinked in surprise, Lyonel had been dead for more than a month now, surely his spirit wouldn't still be in this shithole fade place?

"Lyonel?" She asked.

"I'll be with you in a minute ma'am, Alinn if you could get her set up?" The voice said, Natalia still couldn't see where he was thanks to all the average sized humans obstructing her view.

"Excuse me, sorry. Healer's assistant coming through." Alinn said as he skillfully dodged the people between him and Natalia. Natalia couldn't help but notice a brightness in his eyes she hadn't seen since Lyonel's death. His easy smile fell from his lips the second he saw her.

"Oh, Natalia, please please don't tell the others we're here. If they think we died please let them keep thinking that." He begged her.

"Why would the others think you're dead?" she asked.

"Lyonel and I fled the battle during Ostagar, I know it wasn't exactly honorable for us to do but… It was our only chance to be free." He motioned to the people around them, "Look at all the good we're doing here! We couldn't heal this many people as wardens and you know it."

Natalia felt a knot of guilt in her gut. This was what Alinn wanted more than anything in the world, to be happy with the man he'd lost. She sighed, she wasn't looking forward to destroying his illusion.

"Alinn, you weren't on the battlefield of Ostagar. You were in the tower." She began, hoping to ease him back into reality.

"No, I was on the battlefield, just like you were." He said.

"I understand it's been a while so understandably you might've forgotten after all this time." Alinn continued.

"Alinn, you're really not making this easy for me." She began.

"Making what easy?" Lyonel asked, suddenly at Alinn's side, it was then that Natalia noticed they were wearing matching rings. She bit her lip.

"Alinn, you're a mage you have to know this isn't real right?" She pleaded.

Alinn touched Lyonel's hand not taking his eyes away from Natalia, his face emotionless,

"I'll be back in a moment love." He said before directing Natalia to a more secluded area of the cottage turned clinic. He motioned for Natalia to sit in the chair across from him, she did so, concerned with how much time this dream was taking to break.

"Natalia," His voice was deadly serious, "do you honestly think I don't know this is all a lie? I know the fade and I know that isn't really Lyonel but _I don't care._ " He motioned to Lyonel, who was now tending to a small child, "That's not even a very good rendition of him, but maybe if I spend enough time here I'll think it's real. Natalia please," he was getting misty eyed, "don't make me lose him twice."

Natalia grabbed Alinn's face in her hands, practically yelling in his face,

"Would the _real_ Lyonel want you to _abandon_ us in the middle of a war? This isn't even really him! You're abandoning us for a ghost! Without you the mages will die!" Now she was screaming, she didn't even care she just needed Alinn _out_ of this dream. Tears of frustration fell from her face as tears of grief fell from Alinn's,

"You're right, I need to get out of here. But Natalia, if I'm wounded when we do this, don't bother trying to save me. I'm not worth it."

They turned to face Lyonel, the clinic had melted away to expose the raw fade around them. Lyonel tilted his head,

"Something the matter emma halla?" He asked with a crooked smile.

"You're not even trying anymore." Alinn said.

"Oh, that's true." The spirit smiled, Lyonel now looked as if his body was made of smoke. A black wisp-like creature came out of nowhere and ran Lyonel through with a longsword. Alinn screamed as blood began running down Lyonel's chest. Lyonel still had a twisted grin on his face,

"But she is." The black wisp looked at Alinn eyes a demonic red. The wisp was Mirah's silhouette.

"You'll never escape us." The voice was like a distorted impression of Mirah's rough voice.

Alinn covered his ears, the fade around them shaking from the booming echo of the wisp's voice.

"Alinn we have to fight them!" Natalia yelled as she pulled her daggers out. She tried to stab the black wisp but her daggers went through it as if it was nothing, and perhaps it was nothing.

"Alinn! Magic!" She shouted.

Alinn held a hand in front of himself, the dark spirit began encapsulating Alinn's arm in dark energy. He cast _something_ and the wisp exploded in an enormous burst of light a piercing cry echoed through the fade as the spirit died. Natalia turned her attention to the desire demon that only marginally looked like Lyonel at this point. She stabbed it in the shin. Alinn cast a series of hexes on the demon. While the demon was trying to get a hold over Alinn Natalia was attacking it as viciously as she could.

"You. Won't. Have. Him." She shouted as she buried her sword in the demon's stomach. The demon turned to ash before her.

"Thank you Natalia you, remind me that I owe you an ale when we get out of here." Alinn said.

"As long as you help me out of this magic-y place I don't care what you get me." Natalia said as she elbowed Alinn.

"Wait, what's happening Natalia where are you?" Alinn said, suddenly getting more transparent.

"Oh fuck no Alinn! Don't leave me here!" Natalia yelled, reaching toward Alinn but her hands went right through him before he vanished altogether. Natalia stood there for a few seconds, eyes locked on where he'd vanished.

"Are you dead?" She asked the empty space. She knew at this point that things that faded away here didn't come back.

"No damnit!" She pounded the floor that Alinn had been standing on moments before. Realizing she'd just watched yet another person she cared about die.

"Damnit Surana." She muttered as she pulled herself off the ground, she would mourn her friend if and when she got out of the fade. She ignored the tears on her cheeks as she went over to the fade pedestal again. She felt the pedestal take her to yet another section of the fade.

She was in Orzammar, this had to be where she'd find Jolene. It was better than the tower of fire she'd just fought her way through. She approached the royal palace, this couldn't be real because no noblemen had asked if she was a noble hunter or started beating her in the street. She pulled open the doors to the royal palace. She couldn't have felt more out of place if she tried. Her hand instinctively went to cover the charcoal colored brand that marked her as casteless, even if it did cover the entire left side of her face. She walked past many a noble, none of whom seemed to notice the casteless woman among them.

She entered the throne room to see Jolene seated on the throne, a dwarven man was at her side and nobles were bowing to her. She approached Jolene,

"How did this casteless thug get in here?" Jolene asked, sneering in disgust at Natalia.

Natalia had grown a thick skin to shit like that a long time ago.

"Jolene, this isn't real. I'm Natalia. For fucks sake you know me." She said.

"How dare you address me so callously? I am Queen and you are nothing." She said.

Natalia figured Jolene thought these things about her, but to hear it firsthand was oddly satisfying.

"You're no Queen, you're a kinslayer!" Natalia announced with perhaps more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary.

"I would never!"

"You killed Trian! You stabbed him in the deep roads and got your ass exiled! Your little brother betrayed you! You're a casteless surface dwarf now!" Natalia kept going, reveling in her chance to knock the princess off her pedestal.

"You lie, I would never." Jolene began, standing now.

"Bhelen told you Trian was trying to kill you so you killed him first. You were duped by your own brother can't you see that?" Natalia interrupted.

"I, oh by the stone you're telling the truth." Jolene realized tears began to fall down her face.

"We have to get out of here to save the mages, remember princess?" Natalia asked.

"Don't call me that!" Jolene yelled.

"My dear, do you want the casteless removed?" Gorim asked, eyes glowing red.

"I don't know what you are but you aren't Gorim." Jolene said, jumping back from her king.

"We have to fight the demon." Natalia said, drawing her blades. She saw Jolene pull two daggers out from under her dress, she was nothing if not prepared. They fought Gorim and the various guards. Jolene was looking faint by the end of it. Natalia knew exactly how she was feeling.

"This isn't real." Jolene said. "It can't be real."

Natalia did something that surprised herself, she hugged Jolene. It didn't last long, Jolene had vanished right in her arms. Just as Linara and Alinn had vanished before.

"Rest easy Aeducan." Natalia said hoping that wherever Jolene was she was at peace. There was a fade pedestal where the throne had been moments before. Natalia placed her hands on it, glad to be out of Orzammar, regardless of whether it was fake or not.

The pedestal took her to a heavily forested area after she dealt with the desire demon. She heard amicable chatter and laughter in the distance. She followed the sounds. Ahead of her in a small clearing Linara was surrounded by other Dalish elves, what she didn't see was their glowing red eyes and the demonic horns marking them as desire demons. Linara was leaning on one, her fingers laced through his.

"Great, another couple I get to wreck." Natalia thought to herself.

"So Merrill, what did happen to that apostate?" Linara asked.

The female Dalish elf was about to respond when Natalia came closer,

"There's an intruder." The elf said, picking up a staff as she stood.

"Who goes there?" Asked a dark skinned elf.

"Let me handle this lin." Linara said.

"Show yourself and we might not kill you." She said.

"Well with that how can I say no?" Natalia said as she stepped into the clearing.

"What's a dwarf doing here, don't they live underground?" The elf Linara appeared to be involved with asked.

"Not all of them Tamlen." Linara said.

"Hey Linara, not to shit on your happy reunion or anything but we have some wardening to do." Natalia said.

"How do you know my name durgen'len?" Linara asked.

"I have no idea what that word means but you're a grey warden. One of the last ones in Ferelden. There's me, Alinn an elf mage, Kallian who seems to be your buddy. Mirah the human, Alistair the other human, and then there's Jolene and me to represent the dwarves. Any of this ringing a bell?" Natalia asked.

"Alinn, Kallian… I recognize those names, I can almost see their faces. How could I have forgotten them?" Linara asked in disbelief.

"This is the fade, and these are demons, toying with you by looking like those you love the most."

"Don't listen to her ma vhenan. She is trying to steal you from us, just as that flat ear and his wench did before."

"Tamlen would never call another elf, even a city elf a _wench_ you are not my real clanmates." Linara said, turning her bow and arrow on them.

"Sister, I don't want to hurt you." The other male elf said.

"Then don't, but you are not Movran."

Natalia drew her blades, she went for the mage first,

"Linara help me!" She called.

"You aren't Merrill!" Linara sounded desperate to believe it. Movran, the one Linara had referred to as her brother tackled her to the ground,

"Don't make me hurt the only family I have left." He said. She shot an arrow right into his neck,

"You didn't." She said, blood coating her face. Natalia charged at Tamlen who had dropped the façade and showed his true form as a desire demon. Linara shot him as well when Natalia slit his throat.

"Ma vhenan." He choked out before dissipating.

"Ir tel'him." Linara said. _I am me again_

"Tell who what?" Natalia asked.

Linara turned to face her, a sudden wave of fear in her eyes. "Natalia mara ma?" _where are you_

"Linara I'm right here look at me!" Natalia shouted, not understanding Linara's elvish. Linara vanished before her, panicking and still speaking elvish.

"Not you too." Natalia lamented, at this rate she'd be the only warden left. With a knot in her gut she went to the stone pedestal,

"Take me to someone I can save." She asked it, as if the pedestal would respond to her request.

Natalia didn't recognize anything in this part of the fade, stone walls typical of human construction. This could literally be any of her remaining allies' dreams. She took a second look and saw the blood _everywhere._ She didn't know what happened to someone who died in the fade but she wasn't looking forward to finding out. She followed the trail of blood and dismembered body parts. She heard laughter, a dark laughter. She soon came upon the heart of the carnage. Mirah was standing over a man around her age with dark hair and a hooked nose.

"Please, mercy." He begged blood dripping from his broken nose.

"Like the mercy your father showed mine?" Mirah mocked. She buried her sword in his neck,

"Didn't think so."

"Mirah?" Natalia said, more than a little terrified for her life.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Mirah asked, turning to face her.

Natalia saw Mirah completely now, she was soaked in blood wearing armor with a crest she didn't recognize on it.

"It's me, Natalia. Brosca? The other dwarf warden? Any of this ringing a bell Cousland?" Natalia asked.

"I have no idea who you are or how you got here dwarf but you'd best get out of my way if you don't want to end up like the Howes." She threatened, holding her blood soaked sword mere inches from Natalia's face.

"Holy shit Mirah do you really not recognize me at all? I'm one of the other grey wardens, do you even know you're a warden?" Natalia asked, carefully pushing Mirah's blade away from her neck.

"Why would I ever join the wardens?" Mirah asked.

"So you really don't remember any of it? Not killing Lyonel on the battlefield? Not getting together with Alinn? Or when we defended that village from the undead? None of this ringing any bells?" Natalia asked.

"Lyonel, Alinn… I recognize those names but, everything is hazy." Mirah said as she brought a hand to her forehead, leaving a bloody smear on her face.

"This is the fade, this is a dream." Natalia said, the same thing she'd said to each of her fellow wardens before the inevitable fight with a demon and her companion's death.

"Then we need to break out so I can make it reality." Mirah said.

"Brave words from a little girl." A voice said. Natalia and Mirah turned to see a human man with glowing red eyes.

"Howe." Mirah snarled under her breath,

"Oh, the little pup thinks she's a wolf. You'll die screaming, just like your mother." Arl Howe mocked.

"Natalia, help me kill this fucker." Mirah said, eyes locked on Howe.

"With pleasure." The man reminded her too much of Behrat for Natalia to just let him live.

The two had never fought as a team before, they were both brash and harsh in battle, eviscerating the demon. It kept moving around them,

"Your father was so disappointed that out of all the Couslands to survive, _it wasn't even a real one._ " The demon hissed at Mirah.

"Shut your filthy mouth demon." Mirah yelled.

"You always suspected the rumors had some merit didn't you? You always knew you weren't a Cousland. You're the daughter of a whore and a peasant. And you'll die helpless and forgotten."

Natalia stabbed the demon in the foot, hoping to immobilize it. She saw a pain on Mirah's face she'd never seen in her fellow warden,

"Shut up!" She yelled, tears in her eyes as she buried her sword in the demons chest.

"I am Mirah Cousland, last of my line. Teyrna of Highever and a Grey Warden. No one can take that from me." She said.

"Mirah…" Natalia began.

"When I find the real Rendon Howe I am going to torture him, I'm going to make him watch as I kill all his children, his wife and then" Mirah was still talking as she faded away, seemingly undisturbed as she spoke of her revenge plot.

"That didn't seem like someone dying…" Natalia thought aloud. She remembered when the others had faded away, Alinn was panicked as was Linara, Natalia hadn't seen Jolene's face but she didn't _feel_ like she was dying. Natalia was a stranger to hope but she dared, just this once she dared to indulge in it. She went back to the fade pedestal, the now familiar column of white light taking her to another island in the fade.

Natalia was in a small house standing at the door. She saw Kallian sitting at a table with two elves around her age and on older male elf she was assuming was Kallian's dad.

"Excuse me?" Natalia asked.

Kallian looked at the elves around her,

"I'll deal with this." She said as she got up from the table.

"You're carta right?" She asked, she didn't give Natalia a chance to respond, "Listen I'm second in command of Clan Denerim, you'll want to talk to my superior Chartan if you want to work something out, he lives in the apartment across from the tree, I don't blame you for mixing us up though you look a little lost."

"Kallian? I, where am I?" Natalia asked, unsure what to do with Kallian.

"How'd you know my name?" Kallian asked, crouching so she was eye level with Natalia.

"Kallian, please please tell me you remember me. Natalia? Brosca? Your favorite dwarf? Please some of this has to be getting to you." Natalia begged.

"Natalia?" Kallian began recognition gleaming in her eyes.

"Oh thank the maker!" Natalia threw her arms around Kallian, ever grateful her elf recognized her.

"Where are we?" Kallian asked.

"The fade, this isn't really your family."

"Damnit, I guess it was too much to hope for you and my cousins to be here?" Kallian joked standing up straight.

"They're demons, you're going to have to kill them." Natalia said.

"As long as you kill the one that looks like my dad I think I can handle it." Kallian said.

"Kallian, who is this dwarf?" Soris asked.

"I know what you really are." Kallian said.

"What a pity." Shianni said, eyes glowing red as she turned into a rage demon.

Natalia and Kallian drew their blades, three demons against two street fighters was actually a fairly evenly matched fight. Especially when Natalia turned into a Golem and punched one of the demons right out of existence.

"Holy shit, where did you learn to do that?" Kallian asked.

"A mage." Natalia responded as she turned back into her own form.

"Well let's hope you can get us out of, Nat?" Kallian suddenly looked panicked.

"No, not you too no!" Natalia said.

"Natalia I can't see you! Oh maker where are you Nat?" Kallian yelled before vanishing completely.

"I can't lose you too." Natalia said staring at where Kallian had just been. Natalia slammed her hands on the pedestal. The white light taking her once more to a new area of the fade.

Natalia was finally at the sloth's domain, after having killed all the demons guarding him _and_ severing the demon's hold on her companions. She approached the great lumbering beast.

"I see you've broken from my dreams." It said in that lazy voice. Natalia saw sparks coming from the floor and all of her companions were at her side, unharmed. They were alive and that was really all that mattered to Natalia.

"We don't need your illusions." Alinn said, glancing at Natalia, as if apologizing for wanting to stay before.

"I could make them better, you'd be happier." The demon offered.

"We don't need you to find happiness." Kallian said, lacing her fingers through Natalia's.

"Fools, if you wish to do battle I suppose I'll indulge you." The demon said.

The demon turned into an ogre and charged straight at Natalia and Kallian who each leapt to opposite sides while Jolene and Mirah wailed on the demon. Alinn cast a freezing spell on it. Kallian climbed onto the ogre's back, digging her daggers into its dark purple hide. Natalia threw an acid flask at the beast. When the smoke cleared it had taken a new form, a rage demon. Alinn cast a freezing spell again while Natalia turned into a spirit and used a crushing spell on the beast. Most of the others were rather shocked at Natalia's transformation, but not Kallian or Alinn. Kallian once again attacked the demon from behind. Natalia returned to her dwarf form when the sloth demon took on the form of an abomination, it was then that the demon decided to start taunting the wardens,

"Take a good look mage, I am your future! All mages will give into the temptation eventually, even your precious Lyonel who could do no wrong, oh how he _loved_ it. He got intoxicated off the power, he even used it on _you_ did he ever tell you that?"

"You're lying!" Alinn yelled as he cast a fireball at the demon.

"Why don't you just ask your favorite noblewoman? She saw firsthand just what your darling was capable of." The demon was walking toward Alinn now. Mirah stabbed it in the side, it disappeared in a puff of smoke and reformed as a shade.

Alinn didn't let it start speaking, but it was no longer after him,

"You ruined your one shot at happiness, and you didn't even waste it on someone worth the pain." The demon taunted Mirah.

"Shut your mouth demon!" She yelled.

"You'll be defenseless one day, completely vulnerable, and then you'll die… poor little pup all alone in the world." It continued to mock her. Jolene and the others were attacking it while it was focusing on attacking Mirah verbally and physically. Its claws sliced her stomach badly.

"Who's going to heal you?" The voice mocked. Mirah ran her blade through its head,

"I'll. Walk. It. Off." She said as she drew her blade back.

The demon changed its shape once more, it now was an arcane horror. Natalia coated her blades in poison as she began a full on assault on the monster,

"You took them from me once you won't get a second chance!" She yelled. Alinn backed her up by casting a vulnerability hex on the demon. Linara shot arrow after arrow at the thing, it was finally weakening. Kallian sliced its throat and Mirah stabbed it in the stomach. They had killed the demon of sloth.

They were all teleported back to where Niall was,

"You did it!" He looked happy for the first time but then looked crestfallen, "When you awake take the litany off my, body."

"Niall you're coming with us." Alinn said, grabbing Niall's wrist.

"I can't, I've been here too long. For you it will have been an afternoon's nap but I will have wasted away, believe me it's alright."

Alinn looked defeated as he slowly let go of Niall.

"We will save the mages Niall I swear it." Alinn said.

"Thank you, my friend." Niall said.

After that the wardens woke up on the floor of the circle, Natalia put her hand on her chest, checking that her heart was indeed still beating. She saw Alinn take the Litany off Niall's body. Natalia got to her feet. She saw Kallian struggling to get up and was at her side immediately,

"I thought we were dead for sure." She said.

"It'll take more than a demon to take us down." Kallian said.

"We need to hurry to the Harrowing chamber, it has to be where Irving is." Wynne said.

"Then we'd better get moving." Linara said.

Alinn was at the front of the group, Natalia was at the back still in a state of disbelief at what she'd seen. She knew that everything she saw was real, in some way.

"Are you alright Natalia?" Linara asked.

"Dwarves don't dream." She said.

"What does that have to do with?" Linara began.

"Let me explain, dwarves don't dream, so when we see something we know it's real. Some of that stuff I saw, I don't want it to be real but I know it is." Natalia said.

"We got out Natalia, all we have to do is face Uldred and we'll be back to fighting darkspawn just as before." Linara tried to sound encouraging but both of them knew her words were falling flat.

At the front of the group Alinn was trying not to let the demons taunting affect him, Lyonel would never use blood magic and even if he had he'd never have used it on him _right?_ Soon they came upon the door to the room the stairs to the harrowing chamber were in. Alinn took a deep breath as he pulled open the door. A terrorized yell filled the room, he and the others poured into the room. There was a large energy prison trapping a Templar, Cullen within it.

"You? Oh maker how far back must they have gone to find _you?_ " Cullen asked, pointing at Alinn.

"But, I-Will. Not Break!" Cullen continued.

"You, think I'm a demon?" Alinn asked.

"You're still here? But that's always worked before."

"I'm not a fucking demon that's why it didn't work." Alinn barked.

"Forgive me for being cautious, it wouldn't be the first time they used your image against me." Cullen said, looking like he immediately regretted it.

"I don't want to know." Alinn said quickly. "Is Uldred up in the harrowing chamber?" Alinn asked.

"Yes, him and his blood mage followers, they, they tortured us, I had to see friends turned into abominations in front of me. You have to kill them all you can't risk letting a blood mage go!" Cullen demanded.

"Oh, oh that's _rich._ " Alinn began, "You were tortured, abused, you witnessed your friends be turned into something horrible and you were completely helpless to save them?" Alinn's tone was clearly mocking, "Welcome to the life of a mage Cullen! Do you have any idea the grand irony of this all? You now know what it's like, just for a moment to be a circle mage. Oh and my image was used against you? The image of a mage who you knew was being abused? The one who you knew for a fact was being abused by your friend and yet you did jack shit? Ha! Oh don't look so innocent he was your friend and you tried to get all chummy with me, trying to clear your conscience? What was I used to guilt you? To make you somehow feel sympathy for us mages?"

"Alinn stop! The man has been through enough!" Mirah said.

"And what about what _we've_ been through? When is someone going to step in when _mages_ are the ones being abused? When _we're_ the ones being turned tranquil against our will! When is someone going to help the mages who are tortured, brutalized, raped, and murdered and no one even bats an eye? Oh but if the oh so precious _Templars_ are hurt well clearly the maker himself has to come back to Thedas and save them. No one ever tried to save _me_ so why the fuck should I save _him_!" Alinn's words chilled his fellow wardens to the bone, angry tears streamed down his face as he once again turned his attention back to Cullen,

"I would rather spare a blood mage than kill an innocent. This is _not_ up for debate. If you so much as try to stop me I swear you will know what it truly means to fear mages."

"As you can see I am in no position to do anything about your decision, I hope you _compassion"_ he practically spat the word out, "hasn't doomed us all."

"It hasn't." Alinn said. He headed up the stairs to the Harrowing chamber, the last time he'd been here he'd been fighting for his life as well _isn't that just poetic_ Alinn sneered. He pulled open the doors to the Harrowing chamber accepting whatever laid beyond those doors. He walked in with his head held high and the Litany in his grasp.

What he saw made him feel sick, Uldred was turning a mage into an abomination.

"Oh, it's you. Irving always bragged about you but I don't see what's so special about you." Uldred said sauntering toward Alinn and the other wardens,

"Stay back, I know what you are." Alinn said, holding a hand in the air.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Such potential, if you just accepted what you could become. We could be very powerful together you and I. We could make the chantry bow before us."

Something dark within Alinn told him mage freedom was worth any cost, but he knew Uldred had made a deal with a demon, demons lie, what he offered was becoming an abomination and all that meant was slaughter.

"I'll make the chantry bow to me without your help." He said, lips curled in a defiant sneer.

"Foolish child!" Uldred said as he turned into a demon of Pride, towering over everything in the room.

"I fought one of you last time I was here too." Alinn said. He cast a vulnerability hex on Uldred. He saw Uldred's followers had become abominations. He knocked one in the head with his staff.

"Alinn be careful!" Linara yelled out as she shot an arrow at Uldred.

"I always am." Alinn said, a dark smirk on his face.

Uldred raised his arms, he was trying to do something with one of the mages.

"Use the Litany!" Wynne yelled out.

"I am!" Alinn called out He cast the spell, cancelling out Uldred's attempt at blood magic on the enchanters. Alinn cast a chain lightning on Uldred and the abominations. One of the abominations fell instantly. Kallian went after one of the other ones while Mirah finished off the third one. Alinn felt his magic running through him stronger than ever before. He'd always been told to suppress his emotions when he was casting but no more, never again would he suppress his emotions for someone else's comfort. He would feel everything, his anger and his need for violence translated into powerful bolts of lightning. His body was one with the arcane and never again would he let anyone think any different. He was a _mage_ and the world would know it.

Kallian tried to sneak up on Uldred but he kicked her with his massive scaly foot. She went back a good ten feet, skidding on the ground,

"Fuck, demons." She said as she got up.

She saw a dark force of energy flow from Alinn's hand, he wasn't even using his staff. _Were his eyes glowing?_ It could've been a trick of the light but she was almost certain it wasn't. It was as if he were in his own world, just himself and his magic. He was still using the Litany whenever Uldred tried anything. Kallian reentered the battle. The wardens were wearing the demon down.

"I'll make the world bow, starting with you." Alinn said as spread both his hands apart a cloak of dark magic wrapping itself around Uldred electrocuting the entire demon's body. The demon fell with a loud and massive thud. Alinn stood above the demon breathing deeply, leaning slightly on his staff.

"Alinn, the battle is over." Kallian said.

Alinn looked over his shoulder, his eyes normally a dark brown glowed purple, "I'll be right over." He said.

Kallian was a bit taken aback by Alinn's eyes but said nothing, it was probably just magic. Alinn walked over to First Enchanter Irving,

"Irving, I'm, I'm so glad you're alright." He said, a true softness in his voice.

"I'm surprised to see you but I'm very glad. I always knew you would accomplish great things." Irving said as Alinn helped him to his feet.

"We have to get you downstairs, Greagoir will only cancel the rite if you assure him the tower is safe.

"You'll have to help me down the stairs." Irving said.

"It's no trouble sir." Alinn said.

"Oh and Surana?"

"Yes?" Alinn asked.

"I understand why you didn't tell me about Jowan, and while I wish you had come to me about it. I am proud of the mage and the _warden_ you have become." Irving said.

Alinn had longed to hear those words for who knows how long.

When the group returned to the lobby of the circle it appeared that Cullen had beaten them there.

"Irving! Maker is it good to see you." Greagoir said.

"Oh give it some time and I'm sure we'll be at each other's throats again in no time." Irving said.

"Greagoir we killed Uldred, I believe the tower is secure." Alinn explained.

"This is the mage I told you about! The one yelling all sorts of madness, who's to say he isn't a blood mage! He certainly seemed to sympathize with them." Cullen said.

"Watch who you insult you insolent little-" Kallian cut him off before he could say something he would regret.

"Sir, I can assure you the tower is secure."

"What if they're under the control of blood mages!" Cullen protested.

"There are no blood mages left to be under the control of." Kallian deadpanned.

"I agree, I believe the tower is secure." Irving said.

"Then I will take your word for it." Greagoir said.

"You're just going to believe these _mages?"_ Cullen asked.

" _I_ am the Knight Commander and I've made my decision." Greagoir said.

"Good, now none of this would've happened if such rampant abuse hadn't become commonplace in the Templar order but I digress." Alinn said, curtsying with as much defiance as his little mage body could possibly put into a curtsy.

"Alinn you are pushing your luck." Kallian said.

"I don't care anymore." Alinn said a huge and for once, genuine smile on his face.

"We cannot thank you enough for coming when you did Alinn." Irving said.

"I'm glad to help my fellow mages, now the reason we came here was because well. There is a situation in Redcliffe and we need mages and lyrium, there is a possessed boy who needs our help immediately." Alinn explained.

"We will meet you at Redcliffe, it is the least we could do."

"Irving?" Wynne began. "I would like permission to take leave of the circle to travel with the wardens, they are an excellent group of young warriors and I believe I could do much more helping them than remaining here at the tower."

"You never were one to stay at the tower while there was adventure to be had elsewhere." Irving pointed out.

"We would be honored to have you with us Wynne." Alinn said.

"Remember that when I'm lecturing you." The older woman said in a joking tone.

"Thank you for everything Irving, and I hate to ask this of you but, would the mages be able to help us against the blight?" Alinn asked, turning his attention back to his former mentor.

"There aren't many of us left but we will most certainly help the wardens."

Alinn smiled.

"Thank you Irving, we will see you in Redcliffe." He said.

The wardens left the tower knowing their next course of action was saving the boy Connor.

"Kallian." Natalia began once they were outside of the tower.

"Yeah?" Kallian asked.

"Would you mind uh, sleeping in my tent tonight?" Natalia asked, all her usual bravado gone.

"Given the look on your face I'm assuming this isn't for naughty purposes." Kallian guessed.

"For once yeah, I just uh, the fade it really uh. Dwarves don't dream." Natalia said, not sure how to articulate what she wanted to say.

"It's no trouble Natalia." Kallian said, resting her hand on Natalia's shoulder.

The boat ride back to the mainland took two trips with all of the wardens and Wynne. Once they were all back it seemed that Alistair and the others had waited for them inside the nearby inn.

"There you lot are!" Alistair said, a little buzzed, "We were thinking of sending out a search party, what took you so long?"

"We'll explain on the way to Redcliffe." Mirah said, wanting this part of their journey to simply be over.

"Sounds good to me, you guys?" Alistair looked at Sten, Leliana and Morrigan.

"Fine." Morrigan said, severely unamused.

"Fantastic." Leliana said, a rosy tint to her cheeks.

"Make it so." Sten said.

"No time to lose then." Mirah said.

The wardens and their allies were on their way to Redcliffe now, that demon would soon realize its days were numbered.


	18. Murderer of Crows

Natalia _should've_ been having a dreamless sleep, as all dwarves do. However, her sleep was plagued with the images of a horrific lizard-like beast with a deafening roar and huge wings. She sat upright after the dream,

"Nightmare?" Kallian asked.

"Dwarves don't dream. At least we aren't s _upposed_ to. We don't have a connection to the fade, that's why we don't have mages and that's why we can't dream but I'm having dreams _what's happening to me?"_ Panic was beginning to rise in Natalia's voice. Kallian held Natalia's face so she had no choice but to look at her. She saw true fear in Natalia's dark brown almond shaped eyes for the first time, all these little details were practically screaming at Kallian. The beads of sweat on her forehead, the disheveled hair and the stark contrast between Natalia's brown skin and the charcoal brand that marked her casteless,

"Natalia, you're awake. You're not in the fade I promise you, what did you see?" she asked.

"I, I saw this twisted _thing_ it was red and it had wings and was covered in scales, everything around me was green just like the fade _dwarves don't dream_! Don't you understand Kallian? We don't have a connection to the fade that's why we can't be mages! Why the hell am I going back there? Why am I dreaming? Am I losing my mind?" She panicked, pushing Kallian away.

Kallian grabbed Natalia's hands in her own,

"That's a warden dream, it's not the fade it's the connection to the darkspawn. We've all been having that dream. I can't imagine what this must be like for you but I promise you're okay." She said, looking at Natalia with a softness she hadn't used on anyone in a long time.

Natalia knee walked forward until she was on Kallian's lap,

"You promise?" She asked a soft fear Kallian had never heard in Natalia before.

Kallian ran a hand through Natalia's hair her fingers barely touching Natalia's ear, "I promise."

Natalia pulled Kallian's face into hers, it was a brief but passionate kiss. When they parted Natalia looked horrified, that is until Kallian pulled her back into the kiss. Kallian's hands tangled in Natalia's short hair while Natalia made a proper mess of Kallian's normally orderly ponytail. Kallian fell backwards as Natalia laid on top of her. Kallian wasn't sure whether she should be thanking the stone, the maker or an elven god but andraste's ass was she glad this had happened. They parted eventually, Kallian's shirt only half on and her hair a true mess.

"I've wanted to do that for so long." Natalia admitted breathlessly.

"Maker so have I." Kallian said pulling Natalia into another kiss.

Alinn meanwhile was having a significantly less enjoyable night. He was dreaming, he was with Mirah, she was on top of him. They were kissing, Alinn was aware this was, off. She looked at him with a salacious smirk. She pulled a dagger seemingly out of nowhere and slit his throat. He couldn't move or even breathe. Mirah kissed his neck when Alinn saw her face her lips were covered in his blood.

"My elf." She said, blood dribbling down her chin.

Alinn woke up with a jolt, in the physical and magical sense. A wave of static waved through him when he awoke, he brought his hand to his throat immediately, it was unmarred.

"That was, unsettling." Alinn muttered, trying to calm his nerves by making tiny lightning bolts between his fingers. He heard a pattering outside his tent, he looked up and saw the shadows of water droplets sliding down the canvas in rivulets.

"Rain?" He asked aloud in near reverence. He opened the flap of his tent and saw that it was indeed raining outside. He dashed out of his tent, feeling the water land on his skin. He had forgotten the feeling of rain. He felt the droplets hit his hair and his arms, he ran his watery hands through his hair, laughing all the while. He had done water magic in the past but now he felt a need to do it with this water, with this storm water. He was spinning, arms above his head twisting in the air, water bending itself to his will. He felt an unfiltered joy. The water dripping down his body, the tears of freedom dripping down his face, the water he manipulated with the flick of a wrist was so much more than what it seemed.

The entire camp seemed to be awoken by Alinn's merriment. Jolene came out of her tent and immediately started screaming,

"By the stone what's happening?"

"It's rain!" Kallian gleefully called out, not seeming to care that her hair was nearly completely out of its ponytail or that her shirt was almost scandalously drooping off of her. She ran over to Alinn, who flicked a small orb of water at the center of her chest,

"Hey! That's cheating!" She said.

Alinn stuck his tongue out at Kallian.

"Is this the sky piss you warned me about?" Natalia asked making a cup with her hands as she watched the rain fall from the clouds.

"I expected a bit more of a reaction from you Nat." Kallian said, crossing her arms as she looked at Natalia fondly.

"I knew it was only a matter of time." Linara said nodding toward Natalia and Kallian's varying stages of undress.

"You been taking bets on us Dalish?" Natalia asked, letting the rain pass through her fingers like a sieve.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Linara asked, yellow eyes shining in the dark night air.

"You're never going to stop talking about it are you?" Kallian asked.

"I sure hope she won't." Alinn said, smirking at Kallian.

"Oh Mythal not you too." Kallian said.

"Mythal, glad to hear you de-sheming." Linara said.

"My neighbors were Dalish too you know." Kallian pointed out.

"My family." Alinn clarified.

"What clan?" Linara asked, daring to hope that he was from clan Sabrae may have been too much to hope for.

"I uh, don't know. My last name is Surana if that helps." Alinn said, making a small ball of water between his hands.

"Surana… I know that name, we would not have been of the same clan but, my father knew yours." She remembered hearing one of her father's oldest friends had left for a city at the last hahren'al she went to.

"We would've known each other…" Alinn found it hard to think of himself actually living in a Dalish clan, after all if his father hadn't left the Dalish he never would've been born.

"Small world." Linara said, trying to picture Alinn in keeper's robes, with the vallaslin of Mythal or perhaps Elgar'nan. He would've been one of the fiercest protectors of elven culture the Dalish had ever seen. Linara wished she could somehow give Alinn this life he could've lead, but she knew it was impossible.

"Linara," Alinn smiled at her, his pupils were excited little slits, "Do you believe in destiny?" He asked.

"Yes, I believe there are certain things that are meant to happen, and all of us becoming wardens and surviving is definitely one of those things." Linara said.

Alinn dropped the ball of water he'd formed and laced his fingers through Linara's,

"Care to dance with me?" He asked smiling at the archer.

"Lead the way Lethallin." She smiled.

He pulled her towards him, she stood a good half a head taller than him yet he still led, spinning her as they danced in the rain. Soon Kallian and Natalia were dancing as well. Alinn dipped Linara, she wrapped an arm around his neck to make sure he didn't drop her. He saw the momentary fear in her eyes when she thought she was about to fall. They both chuckled, foreheads resting on one another.

Nothing was particularly eventful that morning, the group and the forest were grateful for the previous night's rainstorm. The wardens knew however they needed to hurry back to Redcliffe before the Connor situation got out of control. The band had been walking for several hours. Jolene walked with Mirah toward the rear of the group, she saw how Mirah's eyes remained locked on Alinn,

"You loved him didn't you?" Jolene asked sympathetically.

"You going to vilify me as well?" Mirah asked, pointedly ignoring Jolene's question.

"I wasn't on the battlefield, I didn't see what you saw. Also if I were to judge you for killing Lyonel you would no doubt judge me for killing Trian." She paused, "What's done is done, but you are ignoring my question."

"You cannot love a mage, mages lie, they twist your words." Mirah began.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Jolene asked.

"Mages cannot be trusted!" Mirah hissed, "I wouldn't expect someone who's species is lucky enough to not have mages to understand their trickery, they manipulate you, tell you of their frightful _plight_ but the second they have access to power? They seize and don't care who they step on, hurt, or even _kill_ in the meantime."

"We're not talking about all mages anymore are we?" Jolene asked, knowing the answer fully well.

"He cannot be trusted." Mirah said harshly, more to herself than anything else. How could she have let that mage worm his way into her heart? Was it blood magic? She wouldn't be surprised if it was blood magic. That blanket of electricity he made in the tower, she'd never seen anything like that before.

However, as she looked back on it she hoped it hadn't been blood magic, his soft voice and even softer body, the way his innocent eyes had looked at her after his breakdown, he hadn't seemed like a manic maleficar then, but he certainly was different after the fade.

"I feel that I must ask, do you regret killing Lyonel?" Jolene asked knowing how much her own sin weighed on her.

"Not anymore, I did when I thought I may have been wrong about mages…But it turns out I was right all along." Mirah said, any residual remorse she may have once felt she would now swallow as she thought of the out of control mages in the tower. This proved to her that the circle was the only way a mage could ever be safe enough to be allowed to live. She remembered Alistair mentioning he used to be a Templar, perhaps he'd be willing to teach her. As Mirah pondered this a rather beat up looking woman came running at the wardens panic clear in her voice,

"Help! Bandits have attacked our wagon!" A woman yelled as she ran toward the wardens.

The wardens said nothing as they followed the woman back to the ambush. As they entered the clearing a tree fell behind them, just then a dark skinned elf with blonde hair pulled out two daggers,

"The Grey Wardens die here!" He shouted.

As the wardens assessed the situation they realized they were surrounded by archers and rogues of nearly every type. They even had a mage among them. Mirah went toward the mage immediately, channeling all her hatred for the monsters she had learned, unlearned and then relearned them to be.

"I'd like to see you try!" Alinn said as he pulled his staff out, feeling electricity course through him as he shot a bolt of lightning at the rogue. The rogue managed to avoid the worst of the blast as he rolled to the side. Alinn felt a piercing pain in his forearm when he saw an arrow was now firmly lodged in his arm. He grimaced as he generated a fireball between his hands, larger than one he'd ever dared to make before. With eyes a ferocious orange he threw the colossal firebomb at the cliff where the archers were standing. The sound of their screams paired with the furious burning of flesh and Cliffside was a rather apt soundtrack to the fight for their lives the wardens found themselves in. Alinn was drained of mana, not that anyone else needed to know that, intimidation worked just as well for him as the actual spells.

Kallian threw a dagger at the woman who'd been the bait. Natalia had her back to Kallian, making sure no one tried to hurt her Kallian. She saw the archers on the cliff that wasn't ablaze, they looked all too similar to the elves in Linara's dream. Natalia's grip on her blades tightened. Natalia felt herself get shoved to the ground as an arrow ripped past her, narrowly avoiding her temple. She looked up and saw Kallian had taken an arrow to the knee. Natalia threw a small dagger at the archer who had shot Kallian.

Linara ran up the hillside to get a better shot at the archers, she got one right in the eye. One of the others ran at her with a knife in her hand. Linara tried to slide out of the way only for another assassin to grab her, Linara knocked her head back feeling the other assassin's blood drip down her hair.

"Kill the archer already!" The assassin holding her captive yelled.

The assassin went for Linara's throat, she cut her throat, but before she got too far she found that she had an arrow lodged right in her throat. Linara fought her way out of the other assassin's grasp in time for Leliana to pin the would be killer in place so Linara could escape. Linara grabbed her bow and ran, blood flowing down her neck faster than a reasonable elf would deem acceptable.

Jolene stuck near Mirah, they fought in a similar way and had the heavier armors. Morrigan was hexing the archers who'd escaped Alinn's firebomb making Mirah and Jolene's job that much easier. Jolene went to stab an archer when he kicked her right in the face. She staggered back, nose bloody and broken. Oh how that brought her back to sparring with Gorim or when Trian decided to show his "little brother" what happens to boys who want to be girls. The broken nose awoke a long dead fire in Jolene she had never fought with more fire in her heart than she fought this archer, suddenly she wasn't fighting an assassin, she was once again versing Trian. Only this time there was no false pretense, no manipulation,

"I am Jolene and I am stronger than you!" She yelled as she buried her sword in the archer's gut.

"Hell yeah you are, Jolene!" Mirah exclaimed, that split second of distraction was all it took for the remaining assassin to bury his dagger in Mirah's eye. Mirah threw the assassin to the ground and stomped his face into oblivion before yanking the dagger out of her eye with a squelching sound, reminiscent of the sound of walking through fresh mud in heavy boots. Blood and broken bits of eye jelly drooled down her face and trickled onto the corpse at her feet. She grimaced in discomfort, furthering the irritation felt from her open wound.

Alinn meanwhile had decided to go right for the most formidable assassin of the bunch, the tattooed elf. Alinn smacked the rogue on the side of the head. The elf smirked, blood dripping down the side of his face. He pulled Alinn right into his space by his belt. Alinn felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

"Good try griffin." The assassin said, accent flowing over his words like a river over stones.

"You think you're the first one to stab me?" Alinn grinned before he banged his head right into the assassin's, no doubt he would regret that later. Alinn yanked the dagger out of his stomach, the stinging he realized was from a poison coated blade. The blood was gushing down his robes. He was nearly doubled over in pain. He cast a freezing spell on the assassin he'd knocked to the ground. Alinn was leaning heavily on his staff, chuckling as he felt his mana returning, pulsing through his veins once more. All the other assassins were dead, the blonde elf however was still alive,

"Should I finish him off?" Natalia asked, knuckles white as she held her bloodied blades.

"I think we should interrogate him, find out if he knows anything useful." Alinn said.

"You need healing lethallan." Linara said as she made her way over to Alinn.

"He had a poison blade." Alinn said.

Wynne made her way over to Alinn, holding her hands just above his wound,

"I won't be able to fully heal him with magic, but I can make this survivable." She explained.

"I have poultices in my pack." Alinn said.

"Now can I slit his throat?" Mirah asked, motioning to the unconscious elf.

"I know homicide is a hobby of yours but no, I'm interrogating him first, we can find out more about our enemies from him. And if he has nothing of value to tell us then I'll kill him." Alinn squinted at Mirah.

Alinn stood above the assassin,

"Someone tie him up so he doesn't try anything." He said.

Jolene bound the assassin's wrists and ankles, if he tried to run he certainly wouldn't get very far. Jolene stepped away from the elf when she was done, she didn't want to look at the elf who had just tried to kill everyone she had left, and if Alinn's complexion was anything to go by, had nearly succeeded. This battle had been one of the worse ones they'd been in, Kallian had to rip an arrow out of her knee and didn't seem as stable on her feet as she had been. Natalia was pale as a sheet, Mirah had lost an eye and Linara was rushing to bandage her throat. This battle would not be one they quickly forgot.

Alinn knelt in front of the assassin, holding his staff like a walking stick.

"Let's see what our friend has to say." He said to himself.

After a few minutes the assassin began to stir,

"I, what I oh. I was expecting to wake up dead, or not wake up at all as the case may be." He said.

"We've decided to torture you first." Mirah said, grimacing at the elf with her bloodied empty eye socket.

"No we haven't." Alinn shot Mirah an icy glare. "We decided to find out what you know." Alinn said as he looked at the captive elf once again.

"I shall save you some trouble then, I am Zevran Aranai of the Antivan crows." Zevran said, attempting to sit up wincing as he managed to get himself into a sitting position.

"Who hired you?" Alinn asked, legs shaking from the amount of time they'd been in that position.

"Some grim looking man, Loghain his name was. He paid quite a bit of coin, he must really want you dead." Zevran said matter-of-factly.

"What a surprise." Linara said, "A shem noble wants us dead."

"When were you supposed to meet him again?" Alinn asked, wondering if he'd be able to get the assassin to kill Loghain in exchange for his own life.

"I wasn't, if I had succeeded I would've returned to Antiva and Loghain would've been informed by the crows or news. And if I had failed I would be dead, or I should be." He continued.

Alinn looked over his shoulder, "The rest of you have any questions for him?"

None of the other wardens spoke up. Except Mirah,

"I want to slit his worthless throat." She deadpanned.

Alinn ignored that and turned his attention back to Zevran,

"We have no more questions for you, my apologies." Alinn said resting his chin on the back of his hand.

"Wait, since you beat me my life is forfeit that's how this works. The thing is, I like living so what do you say we join forces? You need help to end the blight no? I am skilled at poison making and picking locks and a skilled rogue."

"You must think I'm a blithering idiot." Alinn said, relaxed in his position over Zevran.

"You're too powerful to be _completely_ empty headed." Zevran said, winking as a small stream of blood dripped from his temple.

"Sitting in a puddle of your own blood and still flirting? Now that is dedication." Alinn began.

"I would swear an oath of loyalty to you, I would be at your disposal until you felt you no longer had need of me." Zevran said hurriedly.

"How do I know you won't just try and finish what you started?" Alinn asked.

"Even if I managed to kill one of you I would still have to deal with the rest of you, plus even if by some miracle I did kill you all the crows would probably still kill me anyway on principle for failing the first time."

"Could we expect as much loyalty as you gave your previous employers?" Alinn asked, considering the offer.

"Just you, my oath is only for you, but yes. I would kill and die as you saw fit." Zevran said, his nearly golden eyes locked with Alinn's. Alinn knew what a liar looked like and it wasn't at all like the elf sitting before him.

"Very well." Alinn said as he began to stand up.

"Are you out of your Maker forsaken mind?" Mirah yelled, storming up to Alinn, "He just tried to kill us and now you're going to welcome him with open arms? I don't remember you becoming king of the wardens." She was furious, aggressively wiping blood off of her face.

"He swore an oath to me, I take responsibility for anything he does while he travels with us." Alinn said, pupils cat like slits reminding Mirah once more how different they were.

"You've been very different since the circle. A little _too_ different if you ask me." Mirah said, narrowing her eyes at the mage.

"And what do you mean by that, murderess?" Alinn asked with an empty chuckle.

" _I'll make the whole world bow, starting with you_. The eyes changing color, more powerful magic than ever before? You must think we're all fools if you think we wouldn't notice." Mirah began to address the other wardens now,

"How do we know the mage didn't bring a little souvenir from the fade?" Mirah demanded, sword at Alinn's neck.

Alinn chuckled, breathing frosty air onto Mirah's blade, his eyes a ghostly blue,

"You told me not to bottle things up, well _my lady_ my mind has been cracking for years but now that it has finally shattered everyone finally notices. This is no demon this is _all_ me." He sneered at her, "But you knew that when this started." All humor left his face, with a flick of his wrist he froze her blade.

"I trust the assassin and therefore he's joining us." His voice nearly as cold as the ice crystals forming on his various extremities.

He turned to face the assassin and cut his bindings. Alinn held out his hand, Zevran laced his fingers through Alinn's as Alinn helped him into a standing position,

"Hope you're okay with fighting demons." Alinn smirked.

"So long as I don't have to battle _you_ I will be fine." Zevran said.


End file.
